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2012   CONTENTS 


5 


Canines  On  a  Mission 

In  Clarke  C.  Jones 

\\  hen  tlie  mission  gets  tough, our oniceis  eal 

in  additional  lielp     ot'tlie4degged  varielA. 


10 


14 


18 


Winged  Invasion 

b\  Jason  E.  Davis 

W  hile  this  bird  generates  |)l('ul\  ol  had  press,  the 

author  urg(\s  us  to  r(>s|)('cl  ilsadaphxc  nature. 


Tiny  Aquatic  Treasures 

In  Marie  Majarox 

Stonefliesand  niidgcsaud  h(']lgr"iniinit(>s. oh  un\ 

loiter' the  world  oi'henlhicerealui'fvs. 


Fish  Mysteries 

in  Gleiida  C.  IJootli 

.Scieulisis  ha\e  Miau\  more  (jueslions  than 

answers  in  the  (luest  lo  under'sland  fish  diseases. 


O  O    Paradise  Creek  Nature  Park 

^^    In  Belli  lle.ster 

\  new  park  uuColdingin  Portsmouth  |)ro\ides 
puhlic  access  loa  rich  arra\  oCwildlile  and  fish. 


O  C  coasting  for  Recovery. . .  Literally 
In  Briiee  Ingrain 

Sometimes  emotional  and  physical  therapx  com 
in  ihe  form  ol'flshing.  Il\  (ishinglhal  is. 


28  AFIELD  AND  AFLOAT 

30  Whilelail  Biology   •  32  PholoTips 
33   Oil  the  WaUM-  •  34  Dining  In 

CO\  ER:  June  is  a  ujrcal  lime  lo  \isil  one  oIN  liiiiiiiMs  iiia;!iiillccril  ri\('r's!    '   Dwiylil  l)\k(' 


BOB  DUNCAN 
Executive  Director 


This  issue  of  Virginia  Wildlife  covers  a  variety  of  seasonal  topics, 
several  having  to  do  with  fisheries.  One  in  particiJar,  by  Marie 
Majarov,  focuses  upon  the  importance  of  macro-invertebrates  to 
stream  health  and  shines  a  light  on  the  many  volunteers  across  Vir- 
ginia who  perform  water  sampling  for  these  indicator  species.  Just 
remember,  "inverts"  are  the  backbone  of  the  animal  world!  The  fea- 
ture about  Casting  for  Recovery  heralds  the  fine  services  of  a  non- 
profit organization  working  to  provide  therapy  through  fly  fishing  to 
women  struggling  with  the  aftermath  of  breast  cancer.  All  of  these 
stories  extol  the  value  of  volunteerism. 

Also  in  the  June  issue  is  a  feature  about  the  Departments  new 
canine  (K9)  unit — which  has  recendy  expanded  to  five  handlers  and 
their  canine  partners.  They  have  done  a  superb  job  in  the  relatively 
short  time  they  have  been  training,  and  have  provided  a  real  boost  to 
our  law  enforcement  division.  Watching  these  dogs  work  is  simply 
amazing.  There  is  absolutely  no  denying  the  bond  that  forms  be- 
tween each  officer  and  his  or  her  canine  partner.  I  invite  you  to  read 
the  story  inside  and  learn  about  this  remarkable  program — how  they 
train  to  go  about  the  business  of  tracking  people,  detecting  game,  re- 
covering evidence,  and  educating  the  public  about  the  mission  of 
this  agency. 

Public  education  and  outreach  are  at  the  forefront  of  my  mind 
these  days.  As  a  result  of  the  20 1 2  legislative  session,  we  were  asked  to 
study  several  different  issues  that  have  engaged  our  constituents,  in- 
cluding how  to  better  address  their  concerns  about  exotic  animals 
(following  what  happened  in  Ohio  last  year).  Additionally,  we  have 
been  asked  to  work  with  the  Fox  Hound  Training  Preserve  Associa- 
tion regarding  best  management  practices  for  those  facilities;  to 
identify  possible  improvements  for  hunter  access  to  private  land,  es- 
pecially on  properties  with  a  history  of  crop  damage  by  wildlife;  and 
to  work  with  localities  in  Northern  Virginia  on  lyme  disease-related 
challenges. 

The  most  serious  follow-up  task  to  the  legislative  session  is  one 
that  involves  taking  a  fresh  look  at  our  law  enforcement  practices  and 
policies,  while  considering  strategies  to  address  some  of  the  law  en- 
forcement legislation  that  was  introduced,  and  either  carried  over  or 
tabled.  Our  Department  and  the  leadership  of  our  law  enforcement 
division  are  dedicated  to  providing  the  best  conservation  law  en- 
forcement program  possible.  We  will  be  examining  all  aspects  of 
what  we  do  and  how  we  do  it — including  recruitment,  training,  su- 
pervision, and  officer  priorities,  as  well  as  outreach  and  other  divi- 
sion responsibilities. 

We  have  heard  the  issues.  I  can  assure  you  we  are  taking  every 
possible  step  to  provide  the  type  of  law  enforcement — and  public 
outreach  programs — that  all  Virginians  can  be  proud  of 


MISSION  STATEMENT 

To  manage  Virginia's  wildlife  and  inland  fish  to  maintain  optimum  populations  of  all  species  to  serve  the  needs  of  the  Commonwealth;  To 
provide  opportunity  for  all  to  enjoy  wildlife,  inland  fish,  boating  and  related  outdoor  recreation  and  to  work  diligently  to  safeguard  the  rights 
of  the  people  to  hunt,  fish  and  harvest  game  as  provided  for  in  the  Constitution  of  Virginia;  To  promote  safer)'  for  persons  and  property  in 
umncction  with  boating,  hunting  and  fishing;  To  provide  educational  outreach  programs  and  materials  that  foster  an  awareness  of  and  appre- 
ciation for  Virginia's  fish  and  wildlife  resources,  their  habitats,  and  hunting,  fishing,  and  boating  opportunities. 

Dedicated  to  the  Conservation  of  Virginia's  Wildlife  and  Natural  Resources 


VOLUMl-  73 


NUMBER  6 


COMMONWEALTH  OF  VIRGINl! 
Bob  McDonnell,  Governor 

HUNTING  &  FISHING 
LICENSE  FEES 

Subsidized  this  publication 

SECRETARY  OE  NATURAl  REi,OllRCESj 
Douglas  W.  Domenech 

DEPARTMENT  OF  GA.ME  AND 

INLAND  EISHF.RIES 

Bob  Duncan 

Executive  Director 

MEMBERS  OF  THE  BOARD 

Lisa  Caruso,  Church  Road 
J.  Brent  Clarite,  III,  Great  Falls 
Curtis  D.  Colgate,  Virginia  Beach 
Ben  Davenport,  Chatham 
Garry  L.  Gray,  Bowling  Green 
James  W.  Hazel,  Oakton 
Randy  J.  Kozuch,  Alexandria 
Hugh  Palmer,  Highland  Springs 
F.  Scott  Reed,  Jr,  Manakin-Sabot 
Leon  O.  Turner,  Fincastle 
Charles  S.  Yates,  Cleveland 

MAGAZINE  STAFF 

Sally  Mills,  Editor 

Lee  Walker,  Ron  Messina,  Contributing  Editors 

Emily  Pels,  Art  Director 

Carol  Kushlak,  Production  Manager 

Tom  Guess,  Staff  Contributor 

Printing  by  Progress  Printing  Plus,  Lynchburg,  V/ 

Virginia  Wildlife  (ISSN  0042  6792)  is  published  month 
by  the  Virginia  Department  of  Game  and  Inland  Fishcri« 
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Copyright  2012  by  the  Virginia  Department  of  Game  an 
Inland  Fisheries.  All  rights  reserved. 

The  Department  of  Game  and  Inland  Fisheries  shall  affoi 
to  all  persons  an  equal  access  to  Department  programs  an 
facilities  without  regard  to  race,  color,  religion,  national  or 
gin,  disability,  sex,  or  age.  If  you  believe  that  you  have  bet 
discriminated  against  in  any  program,  activit)'  or  facilic 
please  write  to:  Virginia  Department  of  Game  and  Inlar 
Fisheries,  ATTN:  Compliance  Officer,  (4010  West  Broa 
Street.)  P  O.  Box  11 104,  Richmond,  Virginia  23230-1 10- 

This  publication  is  intended  for  general  informational  pui 
poses  only  and  every  effiart  has  been  made  to  ensure  its  n 
curacy.  The  information  contained  herein  does  not  serve  i 
a  legal  representation  offish  and  wildlife  laws  or  regulatioa 
The  Virginia  Department  of  Game  and  Inland  Fisheries  da 
not  assume  responsibility  for  any  change  in  dates,  reguu 
tions,  or  information  that  may  occur  after  publication. 


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by  Clarke  C,  Jones 


"W 


e  gotta  go!"  Pointing  gun. . . 
country  road. .  .wife. .  .that's 
all  I  hear.  We  are  on  our  way. 
We  speed  south  on  Route  20.  The  blue  lights 
are  flashing  atop  the  SUV:  We  are  lit  up  like  a 
Christmas  tree. 

Up  ahead  we  see  a  car  in  our  lane. 
Richard  hits  the  siren.  On  a  two-lane,  country 
road  with  hills  and  turns  there  are  few  places  to 
pass  the  slower  car.  To  my  amazement,  the  car 
in  front  of  us  makes  no  attempt  to  pull  over  to 
the  right  and  ambles  on  its  way.  So,  I'm  think- 
ing, this  is  how  it  looks  when  you're  driving  an 
emergency  vehicle.  I  could  feel  my  blood  pres- 
sure rise  with  frustration,  impatience. 

"You  never  know  what  people  are  going 
to  do  in  front  of  you, "  mutters  Richard.  "I 
have  had  people  literally  stop  in  the  middle  of 
the  road  on  a  hill  and  try  to  wave  me  around. 
Of  course,  you  cannot  see  what  is  coming 
from  the  other  direction  in  a  situation  like 
that,  and  the  person  in  the  car  in  front  of  you  is 
looking  at  you — like  there  is  something 
wrong  with  you?  As  if  on  cue,  the  driver  in 
front  of  us  stops  in  the  road,  and  then  makes  a 
left  turn.  I  guess  the  logic  here  is,  "I  am  only  a 
mile  from  my  house  so  you'll  just  have  to  wait 
till  I  get  home. "  Incredible! 

Richard  steps  on  the  gas  and  we  press  on, 
siren  waiUng. 

Richard  is  Conservation  Police  Officer 
Richard  M.  Howald,  with  the  Department. 
Packed  into  Richard's  SUV  are  Jessica 
Wliirley — an  officer  (CPO)  from  Prince  Ed- 
ward County — me,  and  Scout,  a  female 
Labrador  retriever.  As  one  of  three  Labrador 
retrievers  used  by  the  Department  of  Game 
and  Inland  Fisheries  (DGIF)  to  track  suspects. 
Scout  also  helps  find  evidence  and  locate  fish 
or  other  wildlife  that  may  be  in  the  possession 
of  or  hidden  by,  a  suspected  game  violator. 
Right  now,  all  we  know  is  that  a  gun  has  been 
pointed  at  a  citizen  and  the  address  where  the 
reported  incident  has  occurred. 

When  we  arrive  at  the  scene,  none  of  the 
people  who  were  pointing  the  gun  are  still 
around.  The  alleged  victim  is  not  on-site  but 
his  angry,  upset  wife  is.  The  last  thing  she  is 


thinking  about  is  calming  down.  If  a  gun  has 
been  pointed  at  your  spouse,  you  can  under- 
stand why! 

Richard  and  Jessica  must  begin  to  build 
the  case  to  bring  an  alleged  criminal  to  justice. 
The  woman  does  not  have  any  license  num- 
bers of  the  vehicles  involved.  She  thinks  she 
knows  the  identities  of  some  of  the  people 
who  pointed  the  gun  at  her  husband,  but 
couldn't  swear  to  it.  She  says  her  husband 
does  know.  Then  she  tells  the  officers  what 
the  laws  are  regarding  possession  of  firearms 
and  hunting  along  a  road.  She  is  wrong.  But, 
of  course,  she  can't  be  wrong  because  that  is 
what  her  husband  told  her! 

Here  is  where  problems  occur.  So  many 
people — even  lifelong  hunters — frequently 
do  not  know  the  game  laws  in  their  own 
county.  There  is  not  much  the  officers  can  do 
at  this  point  but  ask  the  wife  to  have  the  hus- 
band call  them  to  try  to  get  more  informa- 
tion. About  a  half-hour  later,  the  husband 
calls  and  Jessica  speaks  to  him.  He  is  upset 
and  wants  the  officers  to  take  action.  Jessica 
explains  to  him  that  no  game  laws  have  been 


broken  and  that  he  will  need  to  speak  to  the 
county  magistrate  and  swear  out  a  warrant 
against  the  alleged  perpetrator  for  brandish- 
ing a  firearm.  The  man  does  not  like  this.  I 
can  hear  his,  ahem,  displeasure  in  the  com- 
ments coming  from  the  phone  Officer 
Whirley  is  holding  to  her  ear. 

It  is  the  job  of  the  conservation  police  of- 
ficer to  protect  not  just  wildlife,  but  also  the 
hunter's  rights  and  the  landowner's  rights. 
Protecting  all  three  can  lead  to  confiision  and 
frustration.  Just  before  the  pointing  gun  call 
came  in,  we  had  spent  over  three  hours 
bouncing  around  the  rutted  back  roads  of 
Cumberland  and  Buckingham  counties, 
checking  for  possible  game  violations.  I 
quickly  realized  that  the  life  of  a  CPO  is  not 
the  glamorous  job  I  thought  it  was.  It  is  dan- 
gerous, tedious,  often  thankless  work  requir- 
ing patience  and  diplomacy  that  few  of  us 
have  or  would  tolerate.  Employment  as  a 
conservation  police  officer  in  Virginia  may 
look  like  something  you  would  want  to  do, 
but  only  a  select  few  can  do  this  job  and  do  it 
well.  It  takes  exceptional  skill  and  judgment 


CPO  Frank  Spuchesi  with  his  partner,  "Comet,"  train  for  evidence  recovery  with  the 
assistance  of  CPO  Wayne  Billhimer 


VIRGINIA  WILDLIFE    ♦    www.HuntFishVA.com 


fiMMcC  ncoiHCH^! 


to  handle  non-routine,  sometimes  life-threat- 
ening, events  and  make  them  appear  routine. 
For  the  CPO,  hunting  season  is  not  only 
a  busy  season;  it  can  also  be  a  holiday  season. 
While  you  are  relaxing  at  the  table  with  family 
at  Thanksgiving,  sitting  around  a  cozy  fire  on 
Christmas  Day,  or  planning  New  Year's  cele- 
brations, our  CPOs  are  patrolling  in  the  cold, 
wind,  rain,  and  snow  protecting  wildlife, 
property,  and  you.  And  because  felons  like  to 
work  in  the  dark,  the  CPO  has  to  be  out  then 


too. 


When  responding  to  an  emergency  re- 
port, a  CPO  may  have  to  quickly  drive  20  or 
more  miles  along  winding,  rural  roads  to 
reach  the  site  of  the  incident.  If  you  are  a  CPO 
with  a  Labrador,  it  is  not  uncommon  to  be 
called  to  a  location  over  two  hours  from  your 
base.  So  you  not  only  have  to  know  your  terri- 
tory and  the  players  in  it,  you  must  also  know 
all  the  game  laws  of  the  counties  in  your  dis- 
trict, as  well  as  the  state.  Each  county  has  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  leeway  when  writing  their 
hunting  rules — and  the  rules  are  not  consis- 
tent among  localities.  During  my  ride- along 


CPO  Wes  Billings  and  partner  "Josie"  look  for 
an  article  hidden  in  the  ground,  as  CPO  Wayne 
Billhimer  looks  on.  Right,  CPO  Megan  Vick 
works  her  dog,  Jake,  during  a  field  exercise. 


A  Brief 
Overview 


The  Department's  K9  program  has 
been  generating  great  results.  In  fact, 
the  original  team  of  three  dogs  with  han- 
dlers (shown  right)  has  recently  expanded 
to  five,  with  the  addition  of  "Comet,"  han- 
dled by  CPO  Frank  Spuchesi,  and  "Josie," 
handled  by  CPO  Wes  Billings.  Colonel  Dab- 
ney  Watts  leads  the  Law  Enforcement  Divi- 
sion and  has  only  positive  things  to  say 
about  the  program. 

Col.  Watts  provided  some  background 
during  a  recent  interview.  He  was  quick  to 
note  that  DGIF  is  indebted  to  the  K9  Acade- 
my at  the  Indiana  Dept.  of  Natural  Re- 
sources, a  14-year  program  run  by 
Conservation  Officer  Jeff  Milner,  who  pro- 
vided training  for  these  dogs  and  their  han- 
dlers at  no  charge.  Other  state  wildlife 
agencies  assisted,  too,  by  sharing  with  our 
CPOs  their  experiences  and  lessons 
learned  over  the  years.  Two  of  the  dogs  in 
the  first  "class"  were  generously  donated 
to  Virginia's  program  by  the  Kansas  Dept.  of 
Wildlife,  Parks  and  Tourism. 

Virginia's  K9  Wildlife  Team  uses  sport- 
ing breeds.  The  dogs  are  trained  in  three 
areas  specific  to  the  Department's  wildlife 
mission:  tracking,  wildlife  detection,  and 
article/evidence  recovery.  After  an  inten- 
sive 8-week  course,  the  teams  are  ready  to 
take  on  assignments.  Each  dog  knows  what 
is  required  during  a  particular  operation  by 
the  type  of  collar  or  harness  placed  on  him 
by  the  handler.  Likewise,  in  the  field  the  dog 
lets  the  officer  know  he  has  discovered 
something  by  "alerting"  the  CPO  with  a 
specific  body  movement.  In  the  case  of  arti- 
cle recovery,  for  example,  the  dog  would 
make  a  digging  motion. 

With  time  and  experience,  K9  partners 
become  accustomed  to  working  together 
in  the  field— a  process  that  can  take  six  to 
eight  months.  The  biggest,  single  advan- 
tage to  the  agency  is  the  manpower  saved 
during  search  (and  sometimes,  rescue)  op- 
erations. The  K9  team  has  also  proven  valu- 
able in  educating  the  public  about  the  work 
our  law  enforcement  officers  perform. 
Sporting  breeds  are  a  good  choice  for  this 
aspect  of  the  mission,  since  they  are  com- 
fortable around  people.  Officers  in  the  pro- 
gram are  available  for  demonstrations  to 
schools  and  other  groups. 

For  more  information  about  the  pro- 
gram and  to  make  a  donation,  go  to: 

http://vawildlife.org/k-9.html. 

-SHM 


The  K9  team  was  launched  with  3  officers,  shown  here:  CPO  Vick,  with  Jake;  CPO  Billhimer,  with 
Justice;  and  CPO  Howald,  with  Scout— in  partnership  with  the  Wildlife  Foundation  of  Virginia. 


with  Officers  Howald  and  Whirley,  I  also 
began  to  get  a  clearer  picture  of  how  much 
"sufficient"  evidence  a  CPO  must  have  to 
even  bring  a  case  to  court,  much  less  win  it.  I 
also  got  some  sense  of  the  volume  of  paper- 
work and  reporting  required  for  each  inci- 
dent. 

A  quiet  break  for  lunch  today  is  out  of 
the  question.  We  drive  on,  checking  out  old 
logging  roads  and  farm  roads.  As  we  approach 
a  power  line  easement,  we  can  see  that  clover 
has  been  planted  in  the  clearing.  We  look 
around  and  discover  a  blind.  The  officers 
make  a  note  of  it.  Sometimes  it's  these  little 
discoveries  that  lead  to  bigger  things. 

We  approach  some  woods  and  stop  to 
give  Scout  a  quick,  mandatory  training  les- 
son. This  must  be  documented  for  both 
DGIF  and  court  records  when  the  evidence 
of,  or  pursuit  and  capture  of,  an  alleged  viola- 
tor involves  one  of  the  dogs.  Richard  places  an 
object  in  the  woods  along  a  leafy,  logging 
road.  Scout  does  not  know  where  it  is. 
Richard  paints  me  the  scenario  that  I  have 
spotted  someone  in  the  woods  who  then  takes 
off  when  he  sees  me.  I  grab  Scout,  put  on  his 
tracking  lead,  and  take  off  in  pursuit.  The  cul- 
prit has  hidden  himself,  thinking  there  is  no 
way  you  will  find  him  in  these  woods  with  the 
head  start  he  has  on  you.  But  then  he  sees  the 
Lab  following  his  tracks,  coming  toward  him. 
About  50  yards  away  from  the  officer  he  bolts 
and  throws  something  to  his  right.  The  officer 
apprehends  the  suspect  and  learns  that  he  is  a 
convicted  felon.  If  the  object  he  threw  was  a 
gun,  the  felon  now  has  bigger  issues. 

Now  the  daylight  is  fading  and,  in  all  the 
commotion,  the  officer  only  has  a  general  idesi 
of  where  the  object  may  be.  Before  the  De- 
partment's K9  program  started  in  20 11 ,  the 
officer  might  have  to  call  in  one  or  two  other 


officers  to  help  search  for  the  weapon,  spend- 
ing time,  energy,  and  the  taxpayers'  money  to 
help  locate  it.  I  have  a  general  idea  of  where  the 
object  is  (the  object  that  the  felon  threw  away) 
and  then  Officer  Howald  sends  Scout  and  me 
to  look  for  it.  I  immediately  go  in  the  direction 
I  think  the  object  is  located.  Scout  just  knows 
she  is  to  look  for  something.  We  both  walk 
past  it. 

I  want  to  outwit  the  dog  in  this  high- 
stakes  Easter  egg  himt  and  am  looking  hard  in 
the  leaves.  Scout  comes  back  to  a  place  we 
passed  and  "alerts"  at  a  particular  location  I 
have  just  covered.  Richard  gives  Scout  a  verbal 
signal  and  Scout,  by  her  actions,  reinforces  the 
fact  that  she  has  found  something.  Richard 
then  rewards  Scout  with  about  five  minutes  of 
playtime,  which  the  Lab  obviously  enjoys. 
Scout  has  been  trained  that  her  "treat"  is  play 
and  she  will  work  her  hardest  for  a  litde  play- 
time with  Richard! 

The  value  of  these  Labs  is  proven  almost 
every  day.  Richard  tells  me  of  one  violator  he 
caught  who  told  him,  "I  was  hoping  you  were 
off  today.  I've  heard  about  you  and  that  dog." 

That  sentiment  is  echoed  by  CPO 
Megan  Vick,  who  initially  proposed — and 
persuaded — the  Law  Enforcement  Division 
to  consider  undertaking  a  K9  program.  Vick 
did  her  homework  and  discovered  that  other 
state  wildlife  agencies  with  K9  units  had  expe- 
rienced great  success;  yet,  the  programs  are 
young  and  there  are  very  few  wildlife  dog  han- 
dlers nationwide. 

According  to  Vick,  "One  of  the  immedi- 
ate benefits  of  this  program  is  the  amount  of 
manpower  we  save.  If  we  are  looking  for  a 
shotgim  or  a  shotgun  shell,  it  may  take  the  dog 
six  to  eight  minutes  to  find  it.  Without  the 
dog,  we  would  need  a  team  of  four  to  five  peo- 
ple to  be  able  to  cover  the  same  territory,  and 


8 


VIRGINIA  WILDLIFE    ♦    www.HuntFishVA.com 


even  after  hours  of  work,  still  may  not  find 
what  we  are  looking  for."  Vick's  district  covers 
much  of  southeastern  Virginia  and  the  East- 
ern Shore — a  broad  territory  and  something 
not  uncommon  for  today's  CPOs. 

When  you  think  about  it,  other  than  a 
spear,  man's  first  hunting  aid  was  a  dog.  It 
helped  him  track,  find,  and  run  down  game, 
and  at  times,  it  has  acted  as  an  early  warning 
device.  Hundreds  of  centuries  later,  even  with 
all  the  technology  a  CPO  has  at  his  or  her  dis- 
posal, we  have  realized  the  advantage  of  rein- 
troducing the  dog  to  ^ain  track  suspects,  find 
wild  game,  and  uncover  evidence. 

We  continue  making  the  rounds  and 
head  off^  along  another  country  road.  We  ap- 
proach a  pick-up  parked  off  the  asphalt  near 
some  woods.  Driving  past  the  truck,  we  follow 
an  old,  overgrown  farm  road  deep  into  Cum- 
berland County.  As  we  turn  around  a  sharp 
bend  we  suddenly  come  upon  six  hunters  with 
shotguns.  They  look  the  way  anyone  looks 
who  is  having  a  party  and  some  uninvited  peo- 
ple decide  to  crash  it.  Normally,  I  wouldn't 
crash  a  party  hosted  by  people  carrying  shot- 
guns. Officer  Howald  tells  me  to  stay  in  the  car 
as  he  and  Officer  Whirley  get  out  to  check 
everyone's  license.  The  two  officers  chat  a  bit 
with  the  hunters  and  then  ask  to  see  their  li- 
censes. It  all  looks  very  routine  but  I  could  not 
help  but  wonder  how  I  would  react  if  I  was  on 
patrol  alone  and  found  six  hunters  who  may 
not  have  been  obeying  the  law.  What  then? 

After  the  license  check,  we  head  back  to 
Cumberland  Courthouse  and  my  ride  home. 
CPO  Whirley  has  to  prepare  for  a  spotlighting 
stakeout,  meaning  she  will  not  go  off  duty 
until  around  midnight — a  long  day  in  any- 
one's book.  As  I  say  goodbye  to  Officers 
Howald  and  Whirley,  and  assistant  Scout,  I 
think  about  special  times  hunting  with  my  fa- 
ther, or  fishing  with  my  friends,  and  I  silently 
give  thanks  for  the  conservation  police  officers 
who  safeguard  our  opportunity  to  make  more 
of  those  memories  in  the  future.    ?f 


Clarke  C.  Jones  is  a  freelance  writer  who  spends  his 
spare  time  with  his  black  lab,  Luke,  huntingup 
good  stories.  You  can  read  more  by  Clarke  at 
www.  clarkecjones.  com. 


Whether  performing  evidence  recovery 
or  tracking  or  wildlife  detection,  time  is 
a  pressing  concern.  Canine  handlers 
and  their  dogs  must  be  in  top  physical 
condition. 


^ 


% 


Extolling  the  virtues 

of  the 

house  sparrow. 

byJason  E.Davis 

'  I  M  A-  eve  been  invaded,  but  you 
ly  \  /  probably  didn't  even  notice. 
^     If  Those  of  us  living  in  Vir- 

ginia, and  indeed  all  across  North  America, 
have  been  living  under  an  occupying  force  for 
more  than  one  hundred  years  now.  We  see 
these  feathery  intruders  every  day  in  our 
yards,  in  the  eaves  of  our  office  buildings, 
darting  in  and  out  between  cars  in  the  grocery 
store  parking  lot,  but  most  of  us  don't  pay 
them  any  real  attention.  But  maybe  it's  time 
we  gave  the  devil  its  due.  Conquering  the 
world  isn't  easy,  and  house  sparrows  have 
done  it  with  room  to  spare. 

House  sparrows  are  scrappy,  ill-tem- 
pered, barbarian  birds  with  an  attitude.  Be- 
cause house  sparrows  have  made  themselves 
at  home  at  the  expense  of  native  species,  they 
are  often  looked  down  upon,  even  despised, 
by  both  bird  aficionados  and  environmental- 
ists. But  beneath  their  drab  brown  and  grey 
feathers  they  carry  an  array  of  formidable 
adaptations,  including  a  surprising  intellect, 
an  adaptable  physiology,  and  an  amazing  be- 
havioral flexibility  that  has  helped  them  to  be- 
come the  most  common  songbird  in  the 
world. 

House  sparrows  (sometimes  called  the 
English  sparrow,  or  Passer  domesticus)  are  na- 
tive to  Europe  and  the  Near  East.  As  an  old 
world  species,  house  sparrows  aren't  at  all 
closely  related  to  native  North  American  spar- 
rows. In  fact,  house  sparrows  and  native  spar- 
row species — such  as  song  sparrows,  swamp 
sparrows,  and  white-crowned  sparrows — 
aren't  even  in  the  same  family.  House  spar- 
rows and  their  distant  American  cousins  may 
be  generally  the  same  size  and  color,  but  the 
similarities  pretty  much  end  there.  A  closer 
comparison  rapidly  reveals  a  large  number  of 
physical  and  behavioral  diff^erences.  House 
sparrows  have  stubby  tails,  stocky  bodies,  and 
thick,  wedge-shaped  beaks  ideal  for  crunch- 
ing seeds.  In  comparison,  native  sparrows  are 


The  house  sparrow  is  at  home  in  just  about  any  setting  and  might  be  considered  the 
consummate  opportunist. 


generally  more  slender,  with  longer,  more 
pointed  beaks.  House  sparrows  are  distinct  in 
their  social  behaviors  as  well:  They  flock  to- 
gether in  large  social  groupings  year-round 
and  don't  exhibit  the  kind  of  territoriality  that 
can  be  found  in  most  native  sparrows.  This  set 
of  traits,  along  with  several  other  somewhat 
less  apparent  specializations,  has  given  house 
sparrows  a  huge  wing-up  in  colonizing  our 
continent. 

House  sparrows  first  arrived  on  North 
American  shores  in  the  mid- 1800s.  Local 
farmers  released  a  few  dozen  birds  in  Brook- 
lyn in  1851,  thinking  that  the  birds  would 
help  keep  pest  insects  under  control.  House 
sparrows  were  released  several  more  times  at 
different  locations  around  the  country 
through  the  1 890s,  though  it  seems  unlikely 
that  they  helped  much  with  insect  manage- 
ment, since  the  main  part  of  their  diet  is  com- 
posed of  seeds  and  grain.  Since  then,  the 
house  sparrow  population  has  bloomed  and 
expanded  to  the  point  that  recent  estimates 
suggest  there  are  now  more  than  150  million 
house  sparrows  in  the  lower  48  states  alone. 

Like  feathered  mice,  house  sparrows 
have  made  a  home  for  themselves  on  our 
streets  and  alleys.  In  fact,  house  sparrows 
seem  to  prefer  to  be  near  us;  they  have  spread 


With  a  reputation  for  aggression,  house 
sparrows  can  intimidate  other  songbirds. 


JUNE  2012    ♦       11 


Urban  environments  offer  several  benefits  to  house  sparrow/s,  including  generally  warmer  average 
temperatures  and  plenty  of  nooks  and  crannies  for  raising  their  young. 


successful  invader;  house  sparrows  are  willing 
to  eat  a  variety  of  foods,  from  old  Cheetos  to 
insects  to  hot  dogs  to  grain  to  popcorn.  Re- 
cent research  has  even  shown  that,  unlike 
many  native  songbird  species,  new  popula- 
tions of  house  sparrows  readily  investigate 
unfamiliar  types  of  food  and  explore  areas  far 
away  from  cover.  This  boldness  almost  cer- 
tainly gives  them  an  advantage  when  moving 
into  new  environments  where  familiar  re- 
sources and  refuges  may  be  missing. 

House  sparrows  exhibit  a  variety  of  other 
traits  that  seem  tailor-made  for  exploitation 
of  an  urban  environment.  Recent  studies 
have  shown  that  house  sparrows  have  particu- 
larly strong  immune  systems,  which  likely 
serve  them  well  when  feeding  in  our  trash 
piles  and  garbage  dumps.  They  are  also  non- 
migratory,  a  feature  that  might  seem  to  be  a 
weakness  for  surviving  cold  winters,  but  is  ac- 
tually a  strength  when  they  can  seek  refuge  in 
warm  attics  and  crawlspaces  to  while-away 
the  winter  nights  instead  of  undertaking  dan- 
gerous and  exhausting  long-distance  travel. 
House  sparrows  also  have  a  flexible  reproduc- 
tive system  that  can  easily  go  into  overdrive. 
In  well-provisioned  environments  house 
sparrows  can  hatch  out  three  or  more  broods 
per  year,  compared  to  many  other  songbird 
species  that  produce  at  most  two  broods. 

Much  like  discontented  humans,  house 
sparrows  often  don't  make  good  neighbors,  at 
least  not  for  native  bird  species.  House  spar- 
rows have  a  reputation  for  belligerence  and 
are  often  seen  fighting  with  members  of  their 
own  and  other  species.  Their  innate  aggres- 
sion, along  with  their  strong,  thick  beaks, 
makes  house  sparrows  a  potential  threat  to 


alongside  us  and  demonstrate  a  marked  pref- 
erence for  cities  and  towns  over  rural  areas. 
This  isn't  to  say  that  urban  areas  are  easy  places 
to  live,  even  for  the  scrappy  house  sparrow. 
Cities  are  loud,  bright,  polluted,  and  chock 
full  of  an  ever-shifting  array  of  hazards  and 
challenges.  However,  if  you  can  stand  the 
stresses  of  urban  life,  there  are  some  definite 
advantages  to  living  in  towns.  Cities  boast 
warmer  average  temperatures,  multitudinous 
nooks  and  crannies  that  can  be  used  as  nest- 
ing sites,  a  general  reduction  in  most  natural 
types  of  predators  and  competitors,  and  a 


near-constant  supply  of  food  from  both  bird 
feeders  and  garbage.  It  might  not  be  the  most 
glamorous  of  lifestyles,  but  being  a  "rat  bird" 
can  certainly  pay  off. 

In  the  past  30  years,  more  than  a  thou- 
sand scientific  studies  have  been  done  on 
house  sparrows.  This  research  has  provided 
substantial  insights,  not  only  into  the  nature 
of  the  house  sparrow  itself,  but  also  into  the 
fundamentals  of  fields  such  as  endocrinology,  ^  I 
immunology,  reproductive  biology,  and  ecol- 
ogy. From  die  house  sparrow  we  have  learned  ^  strong  Immune  system  helps  the  house 
that  culinary  curiosity  helps  a  species  to  be  a       sparrow  tolerate  things  like  street  garbage. 


12        VIRGINIA  WILDLIFE    ♦    www.HuntFishVA.Com 


Like  the  house  sparrow,  the  Pyracantha  shrub  (shown  here)  can  thrive  in  many  environments. 


other  songbirds.  House  sparrows  have  been 
documented  stealing  nesting  sites,  harassing 
aduhs,  and  destroying  the  eggs  of  native  song- 
birds. 

However,  despite  being  equipped  for 
conquest,  it  is  difficult  to  determine  how 
much  of  a  threat  house  sparrows  actually  pose 
to  native  bird  populations.  Areas  inhabited  by 
house  sparrows  often  have  a  less  diverse  array 
of  other  songbird  species,  but  these  are  also 
typically  areas  that  have  undergone  a  large 
amount  of  human  modification.  How  much 
of  the  impact  on  native  populations  can  be 
laid  at  the  scaly  feet  of  house  sparrows  and 
how  much  is  actually  due  to  direct  human  in- 


tervention is  hard  to  say,  but  is  certainly  a 
question  worth  investigating  further. 

Despite  all  we've  learned  about  them, 
there  are  still  house  sparrow  mysteries  waiting 
to  be  unraveled.  Perhaps  the  greatest  of  these 
is  why  house  sparrows  do  so  well  in  many 
places,  but  fare  poorly  in  others.  House  spar- 
row populations  are  waning  in  their  Euro- 
pean homeland.  In  England  alone,  house 
sparrow  populations  have  declined  by  more 
than  50  percent  since  1975.  There  are  a  vari- 
ety of  theories  regarding  the  cause  of  house 
sparrows'  European  decline,  from  changes  in 
^ricultural  practices,  to  differences  between 
populations  descended  from  colonists,  like 


those  in  North  America,  versus  populations 
descended  from  homebodies,  like  those  in 
Europe.  However,  none  of  these  theories  has 
yet  presented  a  definitive  answer. 

Regardless  of  whether  you  love  them  or 
hate  them,  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  house 
sparrows  are  here  to  stay.  The  next  time  you 
see  one,  keep  in  mind  that  though  they  may 
be  down  and  dirty,  raucous  and  pushy,  they're 
actually  one  of  the  most  interesting  things  on 
the  wing.    ?f 


Jason  E.  Davis  is  an  assistant  professor  of  biology  at 
Radford  University.  His  research  focuses  on 
physiological  processes  in  wild  animals. 


JUNE  2012    ♦      13 


>r^v 


"'^  \ 


y^_ 


mi  Ai 

m  ^ 


An  entire  army  of 

freshwater  creatures 

supports  the  fish  you 

love  to  catch. 


by  Marie  Majorov 

Serious  anglers  know  that  the  health 
and  vitality  of  Virginias  native  brook 
trout,  smallmouth  bass,  rainbow 
trout,  and  all  other  fish  species,  as  well  as  the 
waters  in  which  they  swim,  are  intricately 
linked  to  a  fascinating  world  of  wiggly,  squig- 
gly, variously  shaped  critters  known  as  benth- 
ic  macro-invertebrates  (BMIs).  But  to  those 
of  you  who  don't  fish:  Their  environmental 
importance  is  HUGE! 

BMIs  are  quite  simply  animals  that  have 
no  backbone,  live  all  or  part  of  their  lives  in 
freshwater  environments,  arid  are  big  enough 


to  be  seen  without  magnification;  however, 
they  are  anything  but  simple.  The  word  "ben- 
thic"  comes  from  the  Greek  benqos,  meaning 
bottom — referring  to  the  bottom  of  lakes, 
rivers,  and  streams  where  BMIs  mosdy  live. 
"Benthos,"  as  these  little  guys  are  sometimes 
referred  to,  range  from  the  tiniest  pencil  point 
sized  "no-see-ums"  to  crayfish  as  big  as  6  inch- 
es, and  number  close  to  9,000  ingeniously 
adapted  species. 

Larval  and  nymph  stage  insects,  mol- 
lusks,  worms,  leeches,  and  crayfish  comprise 
the  most  common  BMI  found  in  Virginias 
fresh  waters. 

BMIs  are  middlemen,  an  essential  link 


14        VIRGINIA  WILDLIFE    ♦    www.HuntFlshVA.com 


that  BMIs  "are  absolutely  vital  to  the  survival 
of  our  fish.  If  this  food  source  were  lost,  our 
fish  wotild  be  gone."  BMIs  have  another,  less- 
er known  but  critically  important  environ- 
mental role:  Their  presence,  absence,  or 
abundance  serves  as  a  remarkably  effective  in- 
dicator of  water  quality  and  stream  health. 
Fisheries  biologist  Paul  Bugas  describes  BMI 
measurements  as  an  "extremely  valuable  tool" 
used  by  the  Department  (DGIF)  in  manage- 
ment efforts  to  preserve  precious  fisheries  and 
waterways. 

A  (diverse  Assemblage 

Classification  of  BMIs,  complex  and  intrigu- 
ing, follows  a  number  of  dimensions.  Only 
the  most  basic  can  be  described  here.  The  first 
is  habitat:  the  fast-  or  slow-moving,  cold  or 
warm  waters  of  seeps,  streams,  rivers,  bogs, 
marshes,  swamps,  ponds,  and  lakes,  where 
the  bottom  contains  a  great  diversity  of  mate- 
rials— from  boulders,  cobble,  pebbles,  gravel, 
sand,  silt,  and  clay,  to  logs,  leaves,  detritus, 
algae,  and  a  variety  of  aquatic  plants.  Yes, 
BMIs  are  everywhere  in  our  freshwater  sys- 
tems, and  they  need  specific  body  shapes  and 
methods  to  maneuver  in  order  to  survive  in 
their  particular  habitat. 

"dingers"  have  strong  legs  for  holding 
on  and  flat  bodies  that  reduce  drag  from 


in  the  aquatic  food  chain.  In  streams,  life-sus- 
taining energy  and  nutrients  are  found  in  fall- 
en leaves,  algae,  aquatic  plants,  micro- 
organisms, and  similarly  sized  animals — all  of 
which  are  fodder  for  BMIs.  These  necessities 
pass  on  to  the  fish  that  feed  on  the  BMIs  or  are 
released  back  into  the  water  when  the  BMI 
die  and  decay.  Fish  forward  these  nutrients 
further  up  the  food  chain  to  those  that  eat 
them:  birds  (herons,  egrets,  bald  eagles,  king- 
fishers, for  example),  raccoons,  water  snakes, 
and  yes,  even  fishermen  who  enjoy  a  fine  fish 
dinner. 

Carl  Rettenberger,  Winchester  Trout 
Unlimited  BMI/fly-tying  educator,  states 


water  flow  (flathead  mayflies  and  water  pen- 
nies), while  others  produce  a  stick}'  silk  to 
glue  themselves  to  surfaces  in  riffles  and  fast 
moving  streams  (non-biting  midges).  Still 
others,  casemaker  caddisflies  for  example, 
make  intricate  cases  from  pebbles  or  bits  of 
leaves  to  attach  themselves  to  rock  surfaces. 

Climbing  is  another  form  of  locomo- 
tion. "Climbers"  have  spindly  legs,  (think 
dragon-  and  damselfly  larvae),  an  adaption 
that  enables  movement  up  and  down  aquatic 
plants  to  feed  and,  when  ready,  to  hatch  into 
their  familiar,  beautiful  adult  winged  form, 
climb  out  of  the  water,  and  take  flight. 
Climbers  are  capable  of  ssvimming  but  do  so 
only  if  necessar)',  in  contrast  to  "swimmers" 
like  the  ameletid  minnow  maj'flies  which  flex 
their  bodies  to  actively  move  themselves 
through  the  water  or  paddle  with  specially  de- 
signed legs  and  tails.  Much  of  the  time, 
though,  swimmers  remain  perched  on  rocks, 
pieces  of  wood,  plants,  or  coarse  detritus. 

"Crawlers"  such  as  common  stoneflies 
and  hellgrammites  seek  small,  protected 


Shenandoah  Chapter  VMN  and  Friends  of  the  North  Fork,  Shenandoah  River  carefully  sort  and 
count  BMIs  during  a  sampling  project.  Left,  Winchester  TU  members  follow  Save  Our  Streams 
sampling  protocol  using  a  kick  seine  on  Redbud  Run. 


JUNE  2012    ♦      15 


--^i. 


l^t 


BMIs  are  sorted  into  taxa  using  ice  cube  trays 
filled  with  stream  water.  Left,  the  shadow 
darner  spends  its  larval  stage  as  BMI,  growing 
and  developing  under  water. 


places  and  crawl  slowly,  using  their  legs  and 
tarsal  claws.  They  need  firm  surfaces  unlike  the 
"sprawlers"  and  "burrowers"  (crane  flies) 
which  have  adapted  to  move  on  top  of  or  dig 
down  into  fine  sediments  of  sand,  silt,  and  clay. 
A  final,  very  small  group  of  BMI,  "skaters" 
(think  water  striders),  is  uniquely  adapted  to 
remain  on  the  surface  of  slow  waters. 

BMIs  are  also  classified  according  to 
their  varied  feeding  methods.  "Shredder-de- 
tritivores"  (giant  stoneflies)  feed  on  large 
pieces  of  dead  plant  material,  while  "shred- 
der-herbivores" (northern  casemaker  stone- 
flies)  prefer  living  aquatic  plants.  "Collectors" 
acquire  and  ingest  very  small  particles  of  de- 
tritus, some  with  innovative  filters  such  as  the 
nets  spun  by  common  net  spinner  caddisflies. 
Others,  collector-gatherers  (non-biting 
midges  and  aquatic  worms),  gather  tidbits 
that  are  lying  on  the  bottom  or  mixed  with 
sediment.  Algae  growing  on  rocks  and  hard 
surfaces  provide  "scrapers"  and  "grazers"  with 
a  nutritious  aquatic  salad  bar.  Still  other  BMIs 
use  piercing  methods  to  suck  fluids:  from 
plants,  the  "piercer-herbivores"  (micro-cad- 
disflies);  and  from  animals,  "piercer-preda- 
tors" (water  scorpions).  Finally, 
"engulfer-predators"  such  as  free-living  cad- 
disflies, common  stoneflies,  and  dragonflies 
feed  on  animals  by  swallowing  them  whole  or 
in  pieces. 

Stress  tolerance,  or  the  ability  to  with- 
stand various  types  of  disturbances  (organic 
pollutants,  sediments,  and  toxicants)  in  their 
environment,  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant dimensions  on  which  to  classify 
BMIs.  Some  organisms  are  very  sensitive  to 

\T     Good  BMIs  make  for  healthy  streams  and 

beautiful  fish  like  this  rainbow  trout. 
iz 


A  healthy  smallmouth  bass  is  shown  to 
VMN  by  DGIF  fisheries  biologist  Paul  Bugas 
during  an  electrofishing  demonstration. 


pollutants  (stoneflies  and  many  mayflies)  and 
their  presence,  especially  in  high  numbers,  in- 
dicates healthy,  almost  pristine  water  condi- 
tions; just  what  brook  and  rainbow  trout 
need  to  thrive.  Others  are  very  tolerant  of  en- 
vironmental stressors  and  their  presence  in 
large  numbers,  especially  in  the  absence  of  the 
sensitive  BMIs,  suggests  compromised  water 
quality  and  poor  conditions  for  sustaining 
fish.  And  of  course  there  are  a  range  of  condi- 
tions between  these  two  extremes. 

BMIs  are  usually  described  using  all  of 
these  dimensions.  To  illustrate,  riffle  beetles: 
can  be  present  in  both  slow-  and  fast-moving 
waters,  are  primarily  dingers  preferring  peb- 
bly and  stony  areas,  and  are  usually  scrapers  or 
collector-gatherers  somewhat  sensitive  to 
stress.  Materials  and  guides  with  such  descrip- 
tions, detailed  life  history,  biological  informa- 
tion, and  color  drawings,  are  essential  tools  to 
those  wishing  to  identify  BMIs.  Freshwater 
Invertebrates  by  Voshell  is  one  of  the  most 
popularly  used  references. 

I^MI  Sampling  ^  Education 

Unlike  fish,  BMIs  cannot  move  great  dis- 
tances to  avoid  water  pollutants,  stormwater 
runoff,  or  naturally  occurring  stressors  to 
their  environment.  They  are  a  relatively  stable 
community  of  organisms,  often  long-lived, 
that  therefore  reflect  the  effects  of  sediments 
and  pollutants  over  time,  thus  adding  critical 
information  to  enlarge  the  picture  of  stream 
conditions  gained  from  the  snapshots  provid- 
ed by  chemical  water  analysis  and  fish  moni- 
torine. 


Using  a  seine  net,  BMIs  are  collected 
from  the  area  to  be  sampled.  Keeping  them 
wet,  they  are  placed  on  a  light-colored  flat 
surface  and  carefully  sorted  by  type  into  white 
trays  (ice  cube  trays)  filled  with  stream  water. 
A  variety  of  indices  based  on  the  total  num- 
ber of  species,  relative  percentages  of  sensitive 
and  tolerant  species,  and  the  most  dominant 
species  are  calculated.  Observations  about  the 
habitat  and  conditions  seen  at  the  site  are 
recorded. 

"DGIF  conducts  BMI  surveys  when  in- 
vestigating particular  issues,"  states  Bugas, 
adding,  "Ongoing  monitoring  of  Virginias 
more  than  400  streams  requires  strong  part- 
nership efforts.  The  Department  relies  on  the 
ongoing  monitoring  efforts  and  databases  of 
the  Virginia  Department  of  Environmental 
Quality  (tasked  with  implementing  the  fed- 
eral Clean  Water  Act  in  the  commonwealth) 
and  Virginia  Save  Our  Streams  (VASOS)." 

Bugas  particularly  extols  the  BMI  sam- 
pling protocol  and  training  opportunities  de- 
veloped by  VASOS  for  citizen  science,  and 
the  organization  of  "friends"  groups — such 
as  Friends  of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Shenan- 
doah River  and  Friends  of  the  Middle  River 
(Bugas  himself  is  a  member  of  this  group) — 
which  help  to  implement  BMI  sampling  and 
educate  the  public  about  clean  water.  Virginia 
Master  Naturalists  study  BMI  identification 
and  sampling  methods  as  part  of  their  train- 
ing and  also  work  closely  with  river  groups. 
Trout  Unlimited  chapters  actively  participate 
in  monitoring  the  streams  where  they  fish 
and  put  in  significant  preservation  work. 

BMI  sampling  is  a  wonderful  way  to 
give  our  youth  a  hands-on,  stewardship  expe- 
rience and  teach  them  the  value  of  preserving 
our  watersheds.  Cacapon  Institute  (CI),  a 
West  Virginia  organization  which  works  co- 
operatively with  DGIF  in  a  variety  of  forums 
regarding  mutual  efforts  to  preserve  the 
Chesapeake  Bay,  believes  that  science  and  ed- 
ucation are  essential  in  the  protection  of  our 
rivers  and  watersheds.  To  that  end,  CI  has  de- 
veloped a  truly  unique  Watershed  e-School 
and  innovative  materials  used  by  numerous 
schools  throughout  Virginia  as  part  of  the 
"meaningful  watershed  experience"  required 
for  all  6*  and  9*  grade  students.  Go  online 
yourself  or  with  your  children,  click  on  the 
school  door  of  the  "Potomac  Highlands  Wa- 
tershed School,"  then  the  "BMI  Portal," — 


free  resources  to  all,  and  a  terrific  way  to  learn 
more  about  BMI  identification  and  sampling 
as  well  as  watershed  conservation.  In  particular, 
try  the  "Virtual  Stream  Sampler"  activity  that 
simulates  a  BMI  stream  sampling  trip  (based 
on  real  stream  data)  and  includes  stream  scor- 
ing using  the  VASOS  method. 

Be  forewarned,  studying  and  monitoring 
BMIs  is  fun  and  exciting  and  you  could  easily 
become  hooked  on  trying  to  identify  these 
spineless  treasures!    ?f 

Virginia  Master  Naturalist  Marie  Majarov 
(www.  majarov.  com)  lives  in  Winchester  with  husband 
Milan.  Both  nature  enthusiasts  are  active  in  the 
Virginia  and  the  Mason-Dixon  outdoor  writers  assoc. 


For  More  Information  on 
Benthic  Macro-Invertebrates: 

♦  Cacapon  Institute's  Watershed 
e-school:  www.cacaponinstitute.org/ 
e_classroom.htm 

♦  Friends  ofthe  Middle  River: 
www.friendsofthemiddleriverorg/ 
stream-monitoring 

♦  Friends  ofthe  North  Fork  ofthe 
Shenandoah  River: 
www.fnfsrorg/whatwedo/benthic 
monitoring.html 

♦  A  Guide  to  Common  Freshwater  Inverte- 
brates of  North  America,  by  J.  Reese 
Voshell,  Jr  Published  by  The  MacDonald 
&  Woodward  Publishing  Co.,  2002. 

♦  Virginia  Master  Naturalists: 
www.virginiamasternaturalist.org 

♦  Virginia  Save  our  Streams: 
www.vasos.org 

♦  Winchester  Trout  Unlimited: 
www.winchestertu.org 


^j^e^e^o^^^^ 


This  online  BMI  learning  portal  is  a  project 
ofthe  Cacapon  Institute  (link  above). 


JUNE  2012    ♦      17 


by  GlendaC,  Booth 

When  studying  widespread  fish  kills 
and  fish  disease  in  several  Virginia 
rivers  berween  2005  and  2008,  sci- 
entists found  suspicious  lesions  on  a  number 
of  fish  species.  Upon  closer  inspection,  they 
also  discovered  mysterious  abnormalities  to 
reproductive  organs  in  some. 

Dr.  Vicki  Blazer,  a  U.S.  Geological  Sur- 
vey (USGS)  fish  pathologist,  has  found  two 
forms  of  feminization  in  fish:  the  presence  of 
vitellogenin,  a  precursor  of  egg  yolk,  in  male 
fish  blood;  and  what  scientists  call  intersex, 
precursors  of  egg  cells — that  female  fish  nor- 
mally produce — in  the  testes  of  male  fish, 
mosdy  bass  and  sunfish.  In  2006,  for  exam- 
ple, in  three  Potomac  tributaries  scientists 


foimd  that  more  than  80  percent  of  all  male 
smallmouth  bass  were  growing  e^s. 

Generally,  intersex  refers  to  aji  organism 
having  the  characteristics  of  both  sexes,  when 
the  organism  should  be  one,  distinct  sex.  The 
fish  look  normal  to  the  naked  eye  and  to  the 
amateur,  but  the  fish  is  abnormal,  with  a  dis- 
turbance of  the  hormonal  system  called  en- 
docrine disruption.  Sciendsts  are  seeing  fish 
with  endocrine  disruption  all  over  the  coun- 
try. 

These  findings  have  sparked  studies  tar- 
geting what  are  called  endocrine  disrupting 
compounds  (EDCs),  chemicals  that  interfere 
with  the  endocrine  function  of  fish.  "En- 
docrine disruptors  are  widespread  in  the  envi- 
ronment," says  Blazer. 

In  addition  to  uncovering  the  intersex 


phenomenon,  USGS  scientists  have  deter- 
mined that  a  high  incidence  of  intersex  occurs 
at  sites  in  the  Potomac  watershed  where  farm- 
ing is  most  intense  and  where  human  popula- 
tion density  is  the  highest.  And  they've 
concluded  that  the  greatest  prevalence  of  in- 
tersex occurs  in  the  spring,  just  before  and 
during  the  spawning  season. 

In  Virginia,  scientists  have  found  intersex 
fish  in  the  upper  James,  Shenandoah,  Cow- 
pasture,  Jackson,  and  Rappahannock  rivers,  as 
well  as  the  South  Branch  of  the  Potomac  River 
(West  Virginia).  In  terms  of  species,  Blazer  has 
seen  intersex  in  small-  and  largemouth  bass 
and  occasionally  in  redbreast  sunfish.  Scien- 
tists have  not  analyzed  fish  in  many  Virginia 
rivers;  therefore,  the  fiill  extent  or  occurrence 
of  the  intersex  condition  is  unknown. 


18 


VIRGINIA  WILDLIFE    ♦    www.HuntFlshVA.com 


^ 


©Lynda  Richardson 


^^ 


Are  there  "hotspots"?  Blazer  says  she's 
seen  a  high  prevalence  and  high  severity  in  the 
Shenandoah  River's  North  and  South  forks. 
"On  the  Shenandoah,  rates  of  intersex  were 
highest — ranging  from  80  to  1 00  percent  in- 
tersex in  male  smallmouth  bass,"  she  reports. 
The  sample  size  from  some  of  these  rivers  was 
small,  at  fewer  than  50  fish. 

Intersex  fish  have  also  been  documented 
in  wild  fish  populations  in  the  St.  Lawrence, 
Columbia,  Rio  Grande,  and  Mississippi 
rivers,  in  Colorado  waterways,  and  in  certain 
areas  of  the  Great  Lakes. 

Suspicious  Lesions 

Also  troubling  are  fish  with  lesions,  according 
to  Steve  Reeser,  a  fisheries  biologist  with  the 
DGIF  who  has  found  fish  attacked  by  bacte- 


ria with  lesions  on  the  gills  and  skin.  Some  re- 
searchers theorize  that  EDCs  are  compromis- 
ing fish  immune  systems,  making  the  fish 
more  vulnerable  to  pathogens.  However, 
other  scientists  suspect  that  primary 
pathogens  could  be  the  direct  cause  of  the  le- 
sions and  mortality. 

Working  with  USGS  bacteriologist  Dr. 
Rocco  Cipriano  as  early  as  2007  in  the  upper 
James  and  Shenandoah  river  systems,  DGIF 
biologists  documented  one  particular  species 
of  bacteria  (Aeromonas  salmonicida)  causing 
the  lesions  in  both  rivers.  This  species  of  bac- 
teria is  "fairly  ubiquitous"  in  colder  waters, 
Reeser  reports. 

"The  location  of  disease  and  mortality 
were  not  consistent  from  year  to  year,  but 
they  were  always  a  spring  event  when  water 


was  in  a  particular  temperature  range.  The 
virulence  of  bacteria  appears  to  be  tied  to 
water  temperature,  and  rivers  with  ground- 
water influence  are  more  affected.  The  bacte- 
ria cannot  survive  above  about  80  degrees 
Fahrenheit.  The  reason  DGIF  has  been  fo- 
cusing on  a  primary  bacterial  pathogen  as  the 
direct  cause  of  the  lesions  and  mortality  is 
that  the  bacteria  has  only  been  encountered 
where  and  when  fish  disease  has  been  ob- 
served. The  bacteria  has  not  been  cultured 
from  fish  in  areas  where  we  have  never  seen 
sick  fish,  nor  from  the  affected  rivers  when 
the  fish  appear  healthy.  Overall,  there  is  not 
enough  conclusive  evidence  to  link  the  inter- 
sex condition  observed  in  these  fish  to  the  dis- 
ease and  mortality  events  that  have  occurred 
in  Virginia's  rivers, "  Reeser  contends. 


JUNE  2012    ♦      19 


Scientists  across  Virginia  are  studying  fisli  lesions  in  an  effort  to  determine  causes.  The  striped  bass 
siiown  here  is  from  sampling  performed  in  the  lower  Chesapeake  Bay  watershed,  courtesy  of  the 
Multispecies  Research  Group  at  VIMS. 


Why  Is  This  Happening? 

The  endocrine  system  secretes  hormones  that 
govern  many  fimaions,  including  sexual  and 
reproductive  development  in  all  vertebrate 
species,  including  fish  and  humans.  Endocrine 
systems  regulate  biological  processes  through 
hormones  such  as  estrogen,  androgen,  and 
thyroid.  Chemical  compounds  appear  to 
block,  mimic,  or  disrupt  the  normal  functions 
of  the  endocrine  system  of  some  aquatic 
species. 

"Environmental  contaminants  may  dis- 
rupt endocrine  function,"  according  to  a 
USGS  report.  "In  terms  of  causes,  there  is  no 
specific  chemical,  but  complex  mixtures  from 
multiple  sources  that  can  have  effects.  They 
can  affect  the  endocrine  and  immune  systems 
and  make  fish  more  susceptible  to  opportimis- 
ric  pathogens,"  explains  Blazer. 

Compounds  are  everywhere,  from  sham- 
poo to  food  containers,  from  suntan  lotion  to 
clothing.  Over  1 ,000  new  compounds  are  in- 
troduced every  year,  reports  the  Potomac  Con- 
servanc)'.  "Our  waterways  are  becoming  a  soup 
of  hormones,  antibiotics,  painkillers,  and  other 
drugs,"  states  Katherine  Baer,  senior  director  of 
the  Clean  Water  Program  at  American  Rivers. 

"While  we  still  have  more  questions 
than  answers,  the  good  news  is  that 
the  severity  of  the  fish  disease  and  mor- 
tality have  declined  the  past  two  years 
in  both  rivers  and  the  fish  populations 
are  viable,  "sums  up  Reeser. 

EDCs  enter  the  environment  through 
several  pathways.  The  average  American  fills 
1 2  prescriptions  a  year,  reports  the  Kaiser  Fam- 
ily Foundation.  Drugs  can  leave  the  human 
body  almost  intact  or  unchanged,  according  to 
Baer.  Pharmaceuticals  are  especially  troubling 


becaiise  they  are  designed  to  alter  biological 
processes,  the  effects  of  chronic  exposures  are 
poorly  imderstood,  and  drug  consiunption 
grows  each  year. 

Other  possible  sources  of  chemicals: 

♦  Substances  from  cosmetics  and  body  lo- 
tions are  rinsed  off  and  flushed  into 
wastewater  systems. 

♦  Veterinary  pharmaceuticals  and  hor- 
mones fi-om  livestock  operations  drain 
off  agricultural  land. 

♦  Some  natural  hormones  and  antibiotics 
used  in  animal  feeding  operations  pass 
through  animals  and  enter  the  environ- 
ment through  animal  waste. 

♦  Compounds  like  estrogen  from  birth 
control  pills  and  hormone  replacements 
flow  through  sewer  systems  into  water 
bodies. 

♦  Pesticides,  herbicides,  and  fertilizers  can 
leach  into  streams. 

♦  EDCs  like  polychlorinated  biphenyls 
(PCBs),  dioxins,  bisphenol-A  (BPA) 
and  phthalates  get  into  rivers  and 
streams  from  industrial  operations. 
Reeser  puts  it  like  this:  "Chemical  con- 
taminants are  the  500-pound  gorilla  in  the 
room,  because  our  rivers  are  a  soup  of  chemi- 
cals." He  cautions,  however,  that  natural 
things  can  affect  fish  immune  systems  too,  es- 
pecially in  the  spring.  Fish  come  out  of  the 
winter  with  a  suppressed  immune  system,  he 
explains.  Spawning  is  a  natural  stressor  that 
taxes  the  immune  system,  compounding 
both  natural  and  unnatural  pressures. 

Searching  for  Answers 

Scientists  are  quick  to  say  that  they  need 
more  answers.  They  need  better  data  on  in- 
tersex fish,  lesions,  seasonal  variations,  fish 
kills,  and  fish  reproduction  at  a  population 
level.  The  USGS  and  DGIF  are  currendy  col- 


lecting long-term  trend  information  from 
monitoring  sites  in  the  upper  James  and 
Shenandoah  rivers. 

Scientists  want  to  bener  understand  the 
prevalence  of  certain  chemicals  and  the  effects 
of  land  uses,  wastewater  effluent,  pesticides, 
herbicides,  and  hormones  in  manure.  They 
want  to  learn  if  some  chemicals  by  themselves 
are  harmful  and  what  happens  when  chemicals 
interact  wdth  other  chemicals.  Researchers  need 
to  ascertain  what  concentrations  or  exposures 
have  harmful  effects. 

Blazer  suggests  keeping  animals  like 
cows  out  of  rivers,  using  fragrance- 
and  dye-fee  products,  minimizing 
the  use  of  herbicides  and  pesticides, 
and  avoiding  anti-micro  bial  soaps 
containing  triclocarban. 

".  .  .  We  still  don't  know  why  certain 
species  seem  more  prone  to  this  condition  or 
exacdy  what  is  causing  it.  In  fact,  the  causes  for 
intersex  may  vary  by  location,  and  we  suspect  it 
will  be  unlikely  that  a  single  human  activity  or 
kind  of  contaminant  will  explain  intersex  in  all 
species  or  regions,"  USGS  biologist  Jo  Ellen 
Hinck  has  said. 

"Trying  to  determine  if  EDCs  are  a  con- 
tributing factor  in  fish  health  issues  in  mid-At- 
lantic  rivers  is  extremely  difficult  and 
profoundly  complex.  There  are  probably  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  chemical  compounds 
found  in  these  rivers  and  it  is  not  known  at  what 
levels  (even  extremely  low  concentrations)  they 


l\.v'.; 


tt  "tltt^-^  'W 


-a  microscope,  tnecens  of  normal  testes 
look  like  this.  (Slide  images,  courtesy  of  Vicki  S. 
Blazer,  U.S.  Geological  Survey.) 


20        VIRGINIA  WILDLIFE    ♦    www.HuntFishVA.com 


can  negatively  affect  aquatic  organisms," 
Reeser  exphiins. 

A  March  14  report  in  the  journal  of  the 
Endocrine  Society  examining  hundreds  of 
studies  of  hormone-altering  chemicals  over 
three  years  concluded  that  health  effects  "are 
remarkably  common"  when  people  or  animals 
are  exposed  to  low  doses  of  EDCs."  Linda 
Birnbaum,  director  of  the  National  Institute 
of  Environmental  Health  Sciences,  responded 
to  the  study  by  supporting  testing  EDCs  in 
"ultra-low  doses  relevant  to  real  human  expo- 
sures." Some  industry  officials  argued  that  low 
dose  effects  have  not  been  established. 

"While  we  still  have  more  questions  than 
answers,  the  good  news  is  that  the  severity  of 
the  fish  disease  and  mortality  have  declined 
the  past  two  years  in  both  rivers  and  the  fish 
populations  are  viable,"  sums  up  Reeser. 

What  Can  We  Do? 

Wastewater  treatment  processes  are  not  de- 
signed to  treat  or  remove  these  contaminants. 
Virginia  does  not  issue  health  advisories  for 
EDCs.  Virginia's  Department  of  Environ- 
mental Quality  (DEQ)  will  investigate  a  site 
"if  we  identify  a  particular  situation  to  try  to 
find  a  cause  of  any  demonstrated  water  quality 
problem,"  says  Fred  Cunningham,  DEQ 
Water  Permit  Manager.  "It's  really  a  national 
issue,"  he  adds.  "There's  a  big  concern  on  the 
drinking  water  side. " 

The  U.S.  Environmental  Protection 
Agency  (EPA)  is  conducting  research  to  deter- 
mine the  extent  of  impact  of  EDCs  on  hu- 
mans, wildlife,  and  the  environment — EPA's 


Elaine  Francis  reported  during  a  June  20 1 1 
conference  at  George  Mason  University — in 
hopes  of  developing  risk  assessments  and 
management  options.  Federal  water  laws  do 
not  regulate  many  substances  that  affect 
aquatic  and  human  health. 

Some  advocates  argue  for  water  qualit}' 
standards  to  address  EDCs  and  upgrading 
wastewater  treatment  systems.  The  Potomac 
Conservancy  is  pushing  for  "measurable,  ac- 
tionable solutions,"  says  its  president, 
Hedrick  Belin. 

Blazer  suggests  keeping  animals  like 
cows  out  of  rivers,  using  fragrance-  and  dye- 
free  products,  minimizing  the  use  of  herbi- 
cides and  pesticides,  and  avoiding 
anti-microbial  soaps  containing  triclocarban. 
The  Campaign  for  Safe  Cosmetics  is  working 
to  eliminate  dangerous  chemicals  from  cos- 
metics and  personal  care  products,  from  de- 
odorants to  aftershaves.  "Trash  and  every- 
thing else  you  throw  in  the  river  affects  the 
fish,"  notes  Blazer 

Keeping  drugs  out  of  waterways  is  criti- 
cal, say  American  Rivers  advocates.  Their 
data  show  that  54  percent  of  Americans 
throw  unused  drugs  in  the  trash,  where  they 
can  leach  into  groundwater  supplies  from 
landfills,  and  around  35  percent  of  Ameri- 
cans and  many  medical  facilities  flush  unused 


Keeping  drugs  out  of  waterways 
is  critical,  say  American  Rivers 
advocates. 


drugs  down  the  toilet  and  into  local  waterways. 
Some  localities  like  Fairfax  County  aaively  dis- 
courage flushing  drugs  down  the  toilet. 

The  U.S.  Drug  Enforcement  Adminis- 
tration holds  drug  take-back  days  to  safely 
discard  medications.  The  20 1 1  event  collect- 
ed over  377,086  pounds  (188.5  tons!)  of  un- 
wanted medications  at  5,327  sites  across  all 
50  states.  In  one  day,  Fairfax  County  police 
collected  over  280  pounds  at  three  police  sta- 
tions. Check  DEA's  website  for  the  next  one. 

And,  for  the  Angler 

What  does  this  all  mean  for  Virginia's  anglers? 
Blazer's  answer:  "From  our  chemical  analyses, 
when  we  look  at  different  fish  tissues,  the  low- 
est levels  for  many  of  the  new  chemicals  are  in 
fish  muscle,  which  is  what  people  eat.  A  lot  of 
the  new  chemicals  are  not  accumulating  in 
the  muscle.  So  eating  fish  is  not  necessarily  an 
issue  for  humans.  Humans  will  get  exposed 
in  many  other  ways." 

In  recent  years,  DGIF  has  not  seen  a  de- 
cline in  fish  populations  that  the  agency  can 
attribute  to  fish  disease.  Factors  other  than 
poor  water  quality,  such  as  nesting  fish  that 
are  exposed  to  strong  flows,  can  also  affect 
their  numbers.  "We've  had  good  spawning 
success  the  last  five  to  six  years, "  says  Reeser. 
That  bodes  well  for  strong  year  classes  offish 
and  that,  of  course,  determines  how  good 
fishing  will  be  in  the  years  to  come.    ?f 

Glenda  C  Booth,  a  freelance  writer  and  member  of 
VOWA,  grew  up  in  Southwest  Virginia  and  has  lived 
in  Northern  Virginia  over  30 years,  where  she  is 
active  in  conservation  efforts. 


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fiUsex'l!ii!!fl!iiiUimi|&lo^(tytes(black 
irrows)  within  the  testes,  which  also  have  sperm 
yellow  arrow). 


RESOURCES 

Fact  Sheet,  "Intersex  Fish,  Endocrine  Disruption  in  Smallmouth  Bass," 

http://www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/pdf/endocrine.pdf 

Disposal  of  Home  Pharmaceuticals,  Virginia  Department  of 
Environmental  Quality,  http://www.deq.virginia.gOv/Portals/0/DEQ/ 
Water/PoilutionDischargeElimination/VADrugDisposalFlyer.pdf 

Fact  Sheet,  "Don't  Flush  Your  Medications,"  Fairfax  County 
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/dontfiush/ 

♦  National  Drug  Take-Back  Initiative,  U.S.  Drug  Enforcement  Administration, 

http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/ 

♦  Fact  Sheet,  Pharmaceuticals  and  Personal  Care  Products,  U.S.  Environmental 
Protection  Agency,  http;//www.epa.gov/ppcp/faq.html#define 

♦  Campaign  for  Safe  Cosmetics,  Environmental  Working  Group, 
http://safecosmetics.org/ 

♦  The  Potomac  Conservancy,  2009  State  of  the  Nation's  River  report, 
www.potomac.org/site/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/pc_sonr_lrl.pdf 


JUNE  2012    ♦      21 


ise  Ciref  *  Natwre  Paric 


When  Public/Private  Partnerships  Go  Wild,  Everyone  Wins 


An  aerial  view  of  Paradise  Creek  Park  reveals  its  close  relationship  to  the  surrounding  community. 


"Parks  support  public  health,  the  economy,  the  environment,  education,  and 
community  cohesion. .  .parks  produce  measurable  environmental  and  commu- 
nity savings.  Citizens  devoted  to  creating  and  revitalizing  neighborhood  parks 

help  create  safe  communities. " 

-The  City  Park  Alliance 


by  Beth  Hester 

images  courtesy  of  the 
Elizabeth  River  Project 

They're  calling  it  Portsmouth's  "big 
dig."  To  date,  350,000  cubic  yards 
of  river  silt,  clay,  and  industrial 
dredge  spoil  have  been  excavated  from  an  area 
formerly  known  as  the  mud  flats  to  help  create 
a  40-acre  urban  nature  park  and  wildlife  nurs- 
ery in  the  heart  of  Portsmouth's  heavily  indus- 
trialized Elizabeth  River  corridor.  The  park 
initiative  was  heralded  in  the  recent  Growing 
America's  Outdoor  Heritage  and  Economy 
White  House  conference  on  community-dri- 
ven conservation  efforts. 

Once  completed,  Paradise  Creek  Nature 
Park  will  be  the  third  largest  park  in 
Portsmouth — and  the  only  park  specifically 
designed  to  promote  appreciation  of  the  natu- 
ral world,  be  a  haven  for  wildlife  and  a  nursery 
for  fish,  and  give  the  community  access  to  one 
of  the  region's  most  successfiil  restoration  ini- 
tiatives. The  park  conserves  40  acres  on  the 
southern  branch  of  the  river  and  will  include 
1 1  acres  of  restored  wetlands,  plus  mature  for- 
est. The  park  has  been  designed  to  incorporate 
green  development  practices  and  will  boast  a 
wind-  and  sun-powered  interpretive  center, 
two  miles  of  hiking  trails,  a  tidal  garden',  a 
canoe/kayak  launch,  a  large  earthworks  sculp- 
ture, playground,  outdoor  classrooms,  and 
picnic  pavilions — even  composting  toilets. 
Creating  the  park  can  be  a  tactical  challenge, 
especially  in  the  more  compact,  forested  areas, 


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,  Over  70  community  volunteers  cleaned  up  debris  uncovered  after  phragmites  was  removed  along  a  section  of  park  land. 


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Area  students  explore  the  park's  'living 
laboratory'. 

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but  agile  construction  and  landscaping  teams 
are  constandy  devising  low-impact  construc- 
tion methods. 

A  pedestrian  bridge  will  link  adjacent 
neighborhoods  to  the  park.  Community  sup- 
port for  the  park  has  been  overwhelming,  and 
they're  already  calling  it  "a  place  of  peace" 
within  the  busding,  historic  seaport  town. 

The  nature  park  is  what  Elizabeth  River 
Project  (EPR)  founder  and  Executive  Direc- 
tor Marjorie  Mayfield  Jackson  has  called  the 
crown  jewel  of  an  innovative  250-acre  envi- 
ronmental program  led  by  the  non-profit  or- 
ganization. It's  part  of  a  sub-watershed 
restoration  plan,  one  that  is  becoming  a 
model  for  restoring  the  greater  Elizabeth 
River  and  the  Chesapeake  Bay  "one  creek  at  a 
time."  Joe  Reiger  directs  watershed  restora- 
tion for  the  ERP  and  explains  how  the  Para- 
dise Creek  Nature  Park  embodies  this 
strategy: 

"Almost  twenty  years  ago  when  we  ini- 
tially began  to  look  at  ways  to  clean  up  con- 
taminated areas  around  the  watershed,  we 
had  rather  scattered  tactics.  We  worked  on  a 


number  of  projects  around  the  river,  but  what 
happened  was  that  in  a  200-square-mile  wa- 
tershed, doing  a  project  here  and  a  project 
there,  well,  you  don't  completely  realize  the 
impact  of  your  work.  We  knew  that  we  need- 
ed more  than  a  shotgun  approach,  so  we  start- 
ed to  look  at  river  remediation  and  restoration 
on  the  sub-watershed  level,  and  after  several 
years  we  developed  a  plan  to  concentrate  a 
great  deal  of  our  work  on  sub-watersheds 
along  the  river  where  everyone  can  see,  and 
feel,  the  collective  benefit  of  these  efforts." 

The  Paradise  Creek  area  is  a  perfect  ex- 
ample of  this  approach,  as  it's  a  microcosm  of 
the  entire  watershed;  it  is  partially  residential, 
partially  commercial,  and  heavily  industrial- 
ized. Four  superfund  sites  along  the  creek — 
largely  legacies  of  wartime  shipyard 
activity — have  been  remediated  by  the  U.S. 
Navy  and  transformed  into  wildlife-friendly, 
warm-season  grass  meadows. 

Since  its  inception,  the  ERP  has  forged  a 
unique  partnership  of  public/private  con- 
cerns for  the  benefit  of  the  region.  The  Para- 
dise Creek  Nature  Park  project  showcases  the 


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The  artist  renditions  here  and  on  pp.  22-23  help  park  visitors  envision  ail  the  amenities  to  be  offered  upon  project  completion. 


A  local  Young  Life  group  enthusiastically 
pitches  in  to  trim  invasive  vines. 

powerful  impact  of  ongoing  conservation  and 
restoration  partnerships  that  range  from  the 
National  Fish  &  Wildhfe  Foundation,  the 
U.S.  Navy,  die  Virginia  Port  Authority,  the 
University  of  Virginia  School  of  Architec- 
ture, Enviva  LE,  Giant  Cement,  SPSA,  CSX 
Transportation,  the  U.S.  Army  Corps  of  En- 
gineers, and  the  Virginia  Department  of  En- 
vironmental Quality,  to  various  foundations, 
garden  clubs,  and  civic  leagues.  Park  con- 
struction may  be  in  its  first  phase,  but  already 
the  beneficial  effects  are  reverberating 
throughout  the  community. 

The  public  entrance  to  the  park  was  once 
a  garbage  and  phragmites-filled  border  flank- 
ing a  busy  roadway  and  concealing  an  im- 
promptu transient  encampment.  Now, 
people  driving  past  this  strip  of  land  will  enjoy 
a  changing  seasonal  palette  of  native  plants 
and  vegetation.  Tbe  adjoining  parking  area  is 
constructed  of  pervious  gravel  paving  to  re- 
duce stormwater  runoff,  and  the  medians  will 
perform  double-duty  as  rain  gardens. 

Varieties  of  wildlife  species  are  currently 
reclaiming  this  revitalized  area  as  their  own, 
and  a  recent  survey  undertaken  by  an  Old 
Dominion  University  ornithology  team  dis- 
covered 14  species  of  birds.  Box  turtles  have 


been  spotted,  and  there  are  fox,  osprey,  garter 
snakes,  and  a  great  horned  owl.  A  nearby  oys- 
ter reef  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek  was  created 
by  community  volunteers,  and  1 6  species  of 
healthy  fish  have  been  recorded  using  these 
new  piscatorial  amenities.  An  exciting  part  of 
the  wetland  creation  is  the  formation  of  an 
open  channel  that  will  link  the  wetlands  di- 
rectly to  Paradise  Creek,  thus  creating  a  viable 
nursery  for  fish,  crabs,  and  local  aquatic  life. 

The  nature  park  also  will  serve  as  a 
teacher  training  base  and  living  laboratory  for 
students.  The  Portsmouth  Public  School  Sys- 
tem is  already  creating  a  "wetlands  in  the 
classroom"  curriculum  that  will  support  SOL 
mandates.  The  programs  of  study  will  in- 
clude an  osprey  initiative,  pre-school  wild- 
flower  program,  and  oyster  reef  experience. 

Volunteers,  including  participants  from 
the  Boy  Scouts  and  Young  Life  Association, 
have  logged  many  hours  cutting  back  inva- 
sive vines,  growing  wildflowers  for  park 
plantings,  and  acting  as  de  facto  park  ambas- 
sadors, cultivating  beneficial  long-term  sup- 
port for  the  park's  initiatives  among  area 
youth.  During  an  official  groundbreaking 


ceremony.  Young  Life/I.C.  Norcom  High 
School  representative  Ulysses  Keeling 
thanked  the  ERP  and  other  project  sponsors 
for  involving  them  in  the  project,  calling  their 
experience  "a  beautiful  thing." 

Paradise  Creek  Nature  Park  will  be  a  liv- 
ing legacy  for  generations  to  come.  From  a 
macro-perspective,  it  anchors  an  ever-grow- 
ing, thriving  network  of  clean  river  initiatives 
within  the  Chesapeake  Bay  watershed.  Closer 
to  home,  the  park  and  complementary  ERP 
conservation  and  reclamation  projects  further 
the  collective  goal  of  making  the  Elizabeth 
River  swimmable  and  fishable  once  again.    ?f- 

Beth  Hester  is  a  writer  and  freelance  photographer 
from  Portsmouth.  Her  passions  include  reading, 
shooting  kayaking,  fishing  tyingsaltwater flies, 
and  tending  her  herb  garden. 


FOR  MORE  INFORMATION 

For  more  information  on  Paradise  Creek 
and  other  Elizabeth  River  Project 
initiatives,  visit: 
•    www.ElizabethRiver.org 


■ .  \ 

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1 

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m 

Volunteers  place  seed  oysters  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek.  Craddock  neighborhood  residents  and 
Boy  Scout  Troop  222  will  grow  oysters  in  floats  for  summer  planting. 


24        VIRGINIA  WILDLIFE    ♦    vww.HuntFishVA.com 


^lSiai^i^>^£r 


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by  Bruce  Ingram 

r  I    ver  my  33  years  of  marriage, 

I  1     the  worst  thing  I  recall  is  that 

\^^^  day  in  September  2008,  when 
Elaine  was  diagnosed  with  breast  cancer.  One 
of  the  best  things  in  her  revitalization,  after 
seven  months  of  chemotherapy  and  a  double 
mastectomy,  has  been  her  participation  in  a 
Casting  for  Recovery  (CFR)  retreat  in  May  of 
2010. 

Launching  in  1996  with  four  retreats 
and  now  offering  46  retreats  in  33  states  in- 
cluding Virginia,  CFR  is  a  national,  non- 
profit organization  that  supports  breast 
cancer  survivors  through  activities  that  com- 
bine fly  fishing,  counseling,  and  medical  in- 
formation to  create  an  emphasis  on  wellness 
instead  of  illness.  Why  fly  fishing,  though? 

Lori  Simon,  executive  director  for  CFR, 
believes  that  just  being  out  in  nature  provides 
healing  qualities,  both  mentally  and  physical- 
ly, and  teaching  participants  how  to  fly  fish 
helps  connect  them  to  the  outdoor  world. 

"The  motions  of  casting  a  fly  also  gently 
stimulate  and  heal  the  muscles  affected  by  ra- 
diation or  surgery,"  added  Simon. 

A  breast  cancer  survivor  herself  Carolyn 
Harvey  is  program  coordinator  and  retreat 


leader  for  the  Virginia  events.  She  plans  a 
budget  and  performs  fiindraising,  communi- 
ty outreach,  participant  recruitment,  and  vol- 
unteer recruitment  and  training.  Her 
introduction  to  CFR  came  in  2003  as  a  par- 
ticipant. 

"The  staff  treated  us  as  royalty  and  made 
the  experience  something  to  last  for  a  life- 
time," she  recalled.  "I  came  to  a  group  of 
women  as  a  stranger  and  left  having  made 
friends  that  left  an  impression  on  my  life  that 
I  would  not  forget  and  that  also  gave  me  an 
opportunity  to  develop  a  love  of  fly  fishing. 
I've  volunteered  with  other  organizations 
around  breast  cancer,  and  the  warmth  and 
fellowship  developed  between  the  CFR  re- 
treat staff  and  participants  made  me  want  to 
give  back." 

Mollie  Simpkins  is  volimteer  media  co- 
ordinator for  the  Virginia  retreats. 

"I  do  this  because  breast  cancer  aware- 
ness and  serving  the  women  who  have  been 
affected  is  my  passion,"  she  said.  "When  my 
mom  was  diagnosed  in  1983,  breast  cancer 
was  not  talked  about  in  polite  company.  Even 
eight  years  later  when  she  lost  her  life,  it  was 
not  something  that  many  were  comfortable 
having  a  conversation  about  ...  Times  have 
certainly  changed  for  the  better. 

"I'm  just  lucky  enough  that  my  position 


gives  me  the  knowledge  base  to  reach  out  to 
the  media.  Working  with  the  amazing  people 
of  CFR,  both  nationally  and  locally,  along 
with  the  participants  and  all  of  the  volun- 
teers, has  absolutely  changed  my  life  and  fo- 
cused my  purpose." 

A  Typical  Schedule 

Elaine  and  I  attended  the  May  20 1 1  retreat 
in  Madison  County  as  members  of  the 
media.  Over  the  course  of  two  and  a  half 
days,  fly-fishing  activities  (knot  instruction, 
fly  tying,  practice  casting,  entomology, 
equipment  needed,  stream  etiquette,  and  fi- 
nally, actual  fly  fishing)  are  combined  with 
discussions  on  the  physical  and  emotional  as- 
pects of  dealing  with  breast  cancer  and  the 
objective  of  overall  wellness.  Volunteer  an- 
glers handle  the  guiding  aspects,  and  volun- 
teers in  the  medical  field  handle  the  physical 
and  emotional  dimension. 

Media  members  are  only  allowed  to  at- 
tend the  last  day  of  the  retreat.  When  Elaine 
and  I  arrived,  participants  were  eating  break- 
fast and  taking  part  in  drawings  for  fly-fish- 
ing gear.  Soon  afterward,  the  ladies  paired  off 
with  the  volunteer  men  and  women  who 
were  to  be  their  guides  for  the  morning  fish- 
ing at  a  farm  pond.  While  all  of  this  was 
going  on,  Elaine  saw  her  guide  from  the  20 1 0 
Virginia  retreat,  Andy  Manley  of  Fairfax. 

"Do  you  remember  how  I  told  you  to 
retrieve  a  fly,"  Andy  asked  when  he  greeted 
my  wife. 

"Strip,  strip,  strip,"  giggled  Elaine,  and 
then  both  laughed  about  a  man  instructing  a 
woman  to  do  so  in  front  of  her  husband. 
That  type  of  light-hearted  banter  is  very 
much  a  part  of  CFR  retreats,  but  they  contain 
a  powerful  emotional  component  as  well. 

"I've  had  three  different  bouts  with 
breast  cancer  and  still  have  'chemo  brain,'" 
said  Karen  Hines  of  Virginia  Beach.  "Last 
night,  I  got  my  best  night's  sleep  since  this 
whole  cancer  thing  started. 

"Meeting  and  talking  with  other 
women  who  have  been  through  what  I  have 
been  through  and  who  were  so  supportive  of 
me  is  the  best  thing  that  has  happened  to  me 
in  a  long  time.  1  wasn't  much  of  a  fisherman 
before  coming  here,  but  being  outside  and 
enjoying  nature  is  very  healing." 

Manley  agrees  about  the  emotional  as- 
pects, for  both  the  guides  and  the  partici- 
pants. 


26        VIRGINIA  WILDLIFE    ♦    www.HuntFlshVA.conn 


r^ 


V- 


s->' 


Left,  volunteer  Marcia  Woolman  of  Middleburg  lands  a  fine  trout  for  participant  Rachel  Wetherill 
after  landing  her  first  trout  with  the  help  of  guide  Brian  Randolph. 


"^^^"^1^ 


Above,  Sara  Fought  shrieks  w^ith  joy 


©Bruce  Ingram 


"One  of  the  most  special  memories  I  have 
took  place  at  my  first  retreat,"  he  recalled.  "My 
participant  was  close  to  70,  had  never  fished, 
and  was  a  little  unsure  of  herself  when  we 
waded  out  into  a  trout  stream. 

"But  then  she  started  catching  trout  like 
crazy  and  became  so  excited  that  she  almost  lost 
her  balance  and  fell  in.  Just  to  see  her  enjoying 
the  outdoors  is  something  that  I'll  never  forget." 

It  was  time  for  these  1 3  attendees  and  their 
guides  to  go  fishing  at  a  farm  pond  stocked  with 
trout  and  bluegills.  I  first  observed  Manley  tu- 
toring Hines. 

"1  caught  my  first  fish  on  a  fly  rod  yester- 
day," Hines  told  me.  "It  was  a  beautiful  4-inch 
bluegill.  I'm  going  to  catch  my  first  trout 
today." 

Soon  afterwards,  Hines  hooked  a  jumbo 
rainbow  that  immediately  leapt  into  the  air, 
threw  the  fly,  and  landed  with  a  loud  splat. 

"Are  the  other  fish  going  to  go  away  now 
because  of  all  that  racket?"  Karen  asked  Andy. 

Soon  afterward,  across  the  pond  1  wit- 
nessed Rachel  Wetherill  of  Bluemont  doing 
battle  with  a  huge  rainbow  as  guide  Marcia 
Woolman  of  Middleburg  coached  her  on  how 
to  fight  and  net  a  fish.  After  numerous  leaps  and 
runs,  the  trout  finally  entered  Woolman's  net 
and  Rachel  beamed  with  delight. 


"Last  night,  the  women  formed  a  circle 
and  shared  their  darkest  fears,"  Wetherill  told 
me  after  releasing  the  fish,  her  first-ever  trout. 
"1  can't  tell  you  how  much  love  and  support  I 
felt  when  that  was  going  on. 

"Fishing  is  a  way  we  women  can  get  close 
to  one  another,  too.  It's  something  that  we  can 
experience  with  our  new  friends  for  the  rest  of 
our  lives. " 

I  then  heard  shrieks  of  joy  coming  from 
farther  down  the  shoreline  and  went  to  inves- 
tigate. The  sounds  were  coming  from  Sara 
Fought,  who  was  simultaneously  talking, 
laughing,  and  well,  yes,  shrieking  at  her  just- 
landed  trout,  along  with  guide  Brian  Ran- 
dolph of  Reston,  and  me. 

"I'd  never  been  fishing  before,"  she  ex- 
claimed. "I  thought  at  best  I  might  catch  a  lit- 
de  sunfish.  But  the  whole  retreat  has  been 
about  me  doing  things  that  I  didn't  think  were 
possible,  from  being  able  to  survive  breast 
cancer  to  catching  a  big  trout. " 


On  a  personal  note.  Casting  for  Recov- 
ery has  played  a  major  role  in  Elaine's  healing. 
She  has  developed  friends  from  her  participa- 
tion in  the  20 1 0  event.  Before  CFR,  she  re- 
garded going  fishing  with  me  as  merely  an 


unpleasant,  wifely  chore  to  be  endured  every 
few  years.  Now,  we  plan  trips  together  and 
Elaine  regularly  orders  gear  from  catalogs. 
My  wife  even  ties  her  own  flies,  adding  to  her 
kit  turkey  feathers  and  deer  hair  from  game  I 
have  harvested. 

CFR  welcomes  donations  and  volun- 
teers from  corporations,  clubs,  and  individu- 
als, as  participants  do  not  have  to  pay  to 
attend  a  retreat.  The  Virginia  retreat  raised 
funds  for  1 3  women  to  attend  last  May,  but 
with  additional  donadons  more  could  partic- 
ipate. Individuals  are  turned  away  every  year 
because  of  a  lack  of  funding.  As  the  om- 
nipresent CFR  motto  states  ...  "To  fish  is  to 
hope."    ?f 

Bruce  Ingram  is  the  author  of  four  books  on  river 
fishing  and  writes  a  weekly  outdoors  bbgfor  more 
information:  imvw.  hruceingramoutdoors.com. 


FOR  MORE  INFORMATION  ON 
HOW  YOU  CAN  HELP 

Casting  for  Recovery: 

www.castingforrecoverY.org 
(888)  553-3500 
www.facebook.com/cfrmidatlantic 


JUNE  2012    ♦      27 


AFIELD  AND  AFLOAT 


\^K§\  Outdoor 

iForaging  I  ClSSSlCS 


The  Everything  Guide  to  Foraging: 
Identifying  Harvesting  and  Cooking 
Nature's  Wild  Fruits  and  Vegetables 

by  Vickie  Shufer 

2011  F+W/Adams  Media 

$18.95 

www.  ever)TJii  ng.  com 

513-531-2222 

"Knowledge  that  isn't  used  is  lost.  It's  one  thing  to 
know  how  to  identify  a  particular  plant  and 
know  it's  edible,  but  you  also  need  to  know  how 
to  process  and  prepare  it  " 

-Vickie  Shufer 

This  new  book  by  one  of  Virginias  foremost 
experts  on  native  plants  and  wild  foods  fills  a 
real  void  in  wildcrafting  literature.  It  bridges 
the  gap  between  the  traditional  pictorial 
plant  identification  field  guide  and  wild  food 
books  that  contain  recipes,  but  which  seem 
targeted  to  a  niche  audience  of  wild  food 
devotees.  Here  is  a  book  for  the  rest  of  us, 
suitable  for  both  novice  foragers  and  experi- 
enced wild-foodies  alike.  Packed  with  infor- 
mation on  sustainable,  earth-friendly 
foraging  tactics,  conservation  ethics,  and 
recipes  that  emphasize  each  season's  bounty, 
Shufer  also  includes  safety  guidelines  crucial 
to  successful  foraging,  touching  upon  topics 
such  as  allergies,  poisonous  plants,  and  pesti- 
cide use. 

Readers  can  put  together  numerous  de- 
licious, multi-course  meals  from  the  recipe 
chapters:  everything  from  soup  and  appetiz- 
ers to  dessert,  preserves,  vinegars,  and  cor- 
dials. There  are  recipes  for  Clover  Mint  Tea, 
Rose  Hip  Cider,  Jerusalem  Artichoke  Salad, 
Red  Bud  Stir-fry,  Wild  Veggie  Pizza,  Stuffed 
Wild  Grape  Leaves,  and  Beech  Nut  Pie. 

But  there  are  limits  to  foraging  enjoy- 
ment if  you  don't  know  how  to  prepare,  store, 
and  preserve  nature's  bounty,  or  if  you  don't 


know  which  kitchen  devices  can  make  wild 
food  preparation  easy  and  fun.  Shufer 
though tfiilly  suggests  methods  by  which  any- 
one can  safely  dry,  can,  freeze,  or  dehydrate  a 
variety  of  wild  foods,  and  adds  a  compendi- 
um of  useftil  kitchen  gadgets  and  utensils.  In 
addition,  there  is  a  chapter  designed  to  assist 
readers  who  might  be  interested  in  growing 
and  reproducing  native  wild  plants  on  their 
own.  An  extremely  useful  volimie. 

King  George  County's 
Outdoors  Club 

by  Ken  Perrotte 

Youngsters  who  signed  up  for  King  George 
County  Middle  School's  new  "Outdoors 
Club"  are  enjoying  a  full  sensory  experience 
during  the  program's  initial  year.  They  have 
heard  and  practiced  with  deer,  duck,  and 
turkey  calls,  learned  about  the  workings  of 
trail  cameras,  studied  deer  and  their  habitat, 
and  even  tried  butchering  venison  quarters 
into  pan-sized  pieces  of  meat. 

The  club  had  informal  beginnings  last 
year  when  English  teacher  Mark  Fike  hosted 
lunchtime  discussions  with  several  students 
who  expressed  interest  in  hunting  and  fish- 
ing. Brown  bag  lunches  of  wild  game  pre- 
pared by  Fike  or  the  students'  parents  were 
occasional  treats. 

Afi:er  the  Department's  Senior  Conser- 
vation Police  Officer  Frank  Spuchesi  spoke  to 
the  group  one  morning  about  treestand  safe- 
ty, he  and  Fike  hatched  a  plan  for  an  outdoors 
club.  After  all,  there  were  drama  clubs,  chess 
clubs,  and  more.  Why  not  an  outdoors  club? 

Fike  laid  the  groundwork  with  the 
school  and  when  first-year  teachers  Kevin 
Linza  (social  studies)  and  Sarah  Smigielski 
(math)  heard  about  the  plan,  they  wanted  in. 

The  fledgling  club  initially  had  60  stu- 
dents sign  up,  making  it  the  school's  largest! 
The  teachers  surveyed  the  children  to  assess 
their  level  of  experience  and  identify  the  top- 
ics they  wanted  to  see  covered.  The  kids  sug- 
gested nearly  30,  including  cooking  venison 
and  game,  aging  deer  by  their  jawbone,  read- 
ing a  river,  using  a  fish  finder,  and  more. 

Students  ofiien  break  into  groups,  based 
on  individual  interests,  for  their  monthly 


Teacher  Kevin  Linza  (L)  gives  students  a  turkey 
calling  demonstration. 

meetings.  Some  may  hear  a  presentation 
about  waterfowl  hunting,  while  others  take  to 
the  woods  to  learn  how  to  read  animal  sign  or 
use  a  piece  of  outdoors  equipment.  Linza  says 
the  club  reinforces  outdoors  ethics  and  op- 
portunities for  the  experienced  youngsters 
and  introduces  newcomers  to  things  that 
may  later  become  passions. 

"Some  of  these  children  don't  have  role 
models  to  expose  them  to  the  outdoors. 
Maybe  the  parents  aren't  interested,  but  the 
kids  are  . . .  This  gives  us  a  chance  to  share 
what  we  know  and  love,"  Linza  said.  "It's  a 
positive,  educational  environment. " 


Virginia 
Herpetological 
Society  Events 

June  23-24:  Annual  "HerpBlitz" Survey, 
Mattaponi  Wildlife  Management  Area 

August  18:  1 -Day  Survey  Event,  CaieAon 
Natural  Area  State  Park 

More  information  at: 

www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/ 
20 1 2-events/20 1 2-vhs-events/index.htm 


Attention  Anglers 

The  2011  Angler  Hall  of  Fame  will  now  be 
published  in  the  July/August  issue  of  the 
magazine. 


28        VIRGINIA  WILDLIFE    ♦    www.HuntFishVA.com 


Black  Bear  Management 

Bear  populations  have  increased  in  Virginia 
and  diroughout  the  eastern  U.S.  during  the 
past  quarter-century.  Harvest  management, 
reforestation,  public  land  purchases,  oak  for- 
est maturation,  bear  restoration  efforts,  and 
natural  range  expansions  have  all  contributed 
to  bear  population  growth  here.  Although 
this  growing  population  has  been  welcomed 
by  many  people,  the  abundance  of  bears  can 
also  create  concerns  for  others. 


~  \B-24,  o^ 


1 

1 

Since  2001,  Virginias  Black  Bear  Man- 
agement Plan  (BBMP)  has  provided  the  blue- 
print for  black  bear  management  to  meet  the 
Department's  mission  of  managing 
"wildlife. . .  to  maintain  optimum  popula- 
tions... to  serve  the  needs  of  the  Common- 
wealth. " 

For  six  weeks  during  June  and  July,  we 
are  asking  for  public  input  on  the  revised 
BBMR  This  plan  has  been  constructed  over 
the  past  two  years  through  guidance  from 
public  Stakeholder  Advisory  Committees 
and  the  DGIF  Technical  Committee.  The 
goals  in  the  revised  BBMP  reflect  the  values  of 
a  diverse  public  and  are  broad  statements  of 
pri  nciples  and  ideals  about  what  should  be  ac- 
complished with  bear  management  in  Vir- 
ginia. This  plan  will  guide  black  bear 
management  across  the  commonwealth  over 
the  next  ten  years. 

We  encourage  you  to  review  and  com- 
ment on  the  draft  BBMP,  which  will  be  post- 
ed at  www.dgifvirginia.gov/comment. 


/It 


y 


pollinator 

WEEK 


Celebrate  National 
Pollinator  Week 

June  18-24, 201 2 
w\A/w.  pol  I  i  nator.org 

Pollinators  are  critical  to  the  health  of  the 
planet  and  an  abundant  food  supply.  Many 
species  are  at  risk,  including  the  honeybee.  A 
host  of  environmental  factors  are  suspect,  in- 
cluding pesticides  and  cell  phone  towers.  But 
fortunately,  people  are  waking  up  to  the  need 
to  protect — rather  than  harm — these  winged 
partners  that  carry  so  much  weight. 

Education  is  key.  Did  you  know,  for  ex- 
ample, that  a  honey  bee: 

•  Pollinates  flowers,  vegetables,  and  agri- 
cultural crops  within  a  five-mile  radius 
of  its  hive. 

•  Only  stings  as  a  last  resort  (if  stepped  on, 
for  example),  because  doing  so  means 
instant  death. 

•  When  traveling  or  resting  as  a  swarm,  is 
completely  docile.  The  bees  are  totally 
focused  upon  protecting  their  queen, 
who  is  being  "escorted"  at  the  center  of 
the  swarm. 

•  Along  with  other  pollinators,  generates 
one-third  of  our  food  supply. 


Quail  and  Upland 
Wildlife  Federation 

June  16:  Fundraiser  benefiting  wildlife 
habitat  and  youth  programs  of  Virginia. 
Shady  Grove  Kennels,  Remington, 
9  A.M.-2  P.M.  Open  to  all.  Adult  sporting 
clay  and  youth  shotgun  and  rifle  shooting. 

For  details  call  703-232-3572  or  e-mail 
jsaggers(S)gmail.com. 


Recycle  Your  Fishing  Line 


For  Mary  and  Billy  Apperson,  their  latest 
fishing  trip  to  the  James  River  produced 
something  that  they  never  thought  they 
would  catch.  This  great  horned  owl  had  a 
fish  hook  in  his  shoulder  and  had  been 
trying  in  vain  to  get  free  from  the  entangle- 
ment. The  Appersons  found  him  exhaust- 
ed, suspended  between  two  trees. 

After  rescuing  him,  they  received  our 
permission  to  transport  the  bird  back  to  a 
Williamsburg  vet  clinic.  Sadly,  the  bird 
expired  before  receiving  medical  care. 

Anglers  and  boaters  are  encouraged  to 
properly  dispose  of  used  monofilament 
fishing  line!  Many  boat  landings  and  public 
access  sites  around  the  state  have  special 
PVC  containers  for  collecting  used  fishing 
line,  making  it  easy  to  do  so. 

For  information  about  the  program, 
locations  of  recycling  containers,  and  how 
groups  can  become  partners  in  sponsoring 
potential  container  sites,  please  go  to 
www.HuntFishVA.com. 


-RSTOfltFU- 


"Hey  Mom,  you  won't  believe  it 
but  Dad  caught  a  boot  this  big." 


JUNE  2012   ♦      29 


Summer  =  Seasc 


essay  by  Matt  Knox 


With  the  start  of  summer,  the 
whitetails  world  has  again  un- 
dergone a  dramatic  change:  the 
fawns  have  arrived.  All  of  the  chaos  of  the 
breeding  season,  or  rut,  200  days  prior  has 
now  resulted  in  the  arrival  of  the  next  genera- 
tion of  deer.  In  Virginia,  this  happens  in  late 
May  and  early  June  and  translates  to  the  ar- 
rival of  probably  a  half-million  new,  spotted 
wildlife  residents  in  less  than  one  month's 
time. 

Does  which  separated  from  their  family 
groups  to  set  up  and  defend  a  fawning  territo- 
ry have  now  given  birth.  In  healthy  deer  pop- 
ulations, most  adult  does  give  birth  to  twin 
fawns.  Not  surprisingly,  older  does  with  high- 
er social  stams  and  more  experience  tend  to 
make  better,  or  more  successful,  mothers. 

Fawns  are  generally  born  head  and  feet 
first  and  are  able  to  stand  and  nurse  within 
about  30  minutes  of  birth.  Twin  fawns  are 
normally  born  1 0  to  20  minutes  apart.  After 
the  fawns  are  born,  the  doe  will  lick  them 


clean  and  groom  them  and  eat  the  afterbirth 
to  reduce  odors,  thus  minimizing  the  chance 
that  predators  will  find  them.  These  first 
hours  of  seclusion  are  critical  because  they 
allow  the  doe  and  fawn(s)  to  imprint  each 
other,  forming  a  critical  bond  where  the  doe 
will  be  able  to  identify  her  young  in  the  fu- 
ture. 

Young  white-tailed  deer  fawns  are 
hiders.  This  means  the  doe  leaves  them  lying 
in  the  woods  and  fields  alone  nearly  all  the 
time  for  the  first  couple  of  weeks  to  month  of 
life.  The  doe  does  not  abandon  them.  She 
moves  off  far  enough  that  her  presence  does 
not  draw  attention  to  the  fawns,  but  remains 
close  enough  that  she  can  come  to  their  de- 
fense if  necessary.  Picking  up  a  young  fawn 
will  normally  cause  it  to  make  a  piercing  cry 
or  bawl,  which  will  bring  the  doe  running.  It 
is  often  during  this  time  of  year  that  protec- 
tive does  attack  dogs,  or  sometimes  even  peo- 
ple, defending  very  young,  hidden  fawns. 

During  these  critical  first  weeks,  the  doe 
will  approach  the  area  where  the  fawn  is  hid- 
ing two  to  four  times  each  day,  mostly  during 
daylight  hours.  With  a  soft  grunt  she  will  call 


the  fawn  to  her,  allowing  it  to  nurse  for  5-10 
minutes.  While  it  is  nursing,  she  will  lick  and 
groom  it.  Then  she  will  typically  move  the 
fawn  a  short  distance  and  leave  quickly. 
When  she  leaves,  the  fawn  will  automatically 
lie  down  again  to  resume  hiding. 

Healthy  fawns  generally  weigh  about  six 
to  eight  pounds  at  birth,  and  they  grow 
quickly.  During  a  typical  nursing  session  a 
fawn  will  consume  about  eight  ounces  of 
milk,  which  is  richer  than  cow's  milk,  and  will 
usually  gain  about  a  half-pound  per  day, 
tripling  its  birth  weight  in  the  first  month  of 
life. 

Although  ruminants  by  nature,  a  fawn 
has  a  digestive  system  folded  in  such  a  way 
early  on  to  allow  the  milk  to  bypass  the 
rumen  and  reticulum.  By  two  to  three  weeks 
of  age,  fawns  begin  to  eat  vegetation.  Al- 
though fawns  can  be  seen  nursing  into  fall,  by 
1 2  weeks  of  age  they  are  fianctionally  weaned 
and  full-time  ruminants. 

The  spotted  coat  of  a  hiding  white-tailed 
deer  fawn  is  one  of  the  most  well-known 
physical  characteristics.  White  spots  on  a 
chestnut  brown  background  act  as  nature's 


30        VIRGINIA  WILDLIFE    ♦    www.HuntFishVA.com 


Biology 

1  of  the  Fawns 


camouflage,  hiding  the  fawn  by  mimicking 
dappled  light  coming  through  the  forest 
canopy.  Yes,  someone  has  counted  the  spots. 
On  average,  a  fawn  has  between  270  and  350 
of  them,  with  two  fairly  straight  lines  down 
either  side  of  its  back  and  the  rest  scattered 
randomly  over  its  sides.  This  camouflage 
works  so  well  it  is  very  difficult  to  see  and  find 
fawns  in  the  woods. 

For  the  first  five  to  ten  days  of  life,  young 
fawns  will  lie  completely  still  and  not  even  at- 
tempt to  escape  when  approached  by  a  preda- 
tor or  a  person.  Because  of  this  behavior,  very 
young  hiding  fawns  are  highly  vulnerable  to 
predators  such  as  black  bears  and  coyotes. 
Many  fawns  do  not  survive.  At  least  ten  per- 
cent are  generally  lost  to  natural  causes,  and 
fawn  predation  rates  of  20-30  percent,  up  to 
75  percent  or  more,  have  been  documented 
across  the  Southeast  recently.  Not  surprising- 
ly, most  predation  losses  occur  during  the  first 
week  to  ten  days  of  life. 

Many  times  in  suburban  environments, 
young  fawns  will  be  found  hiding  in  home- 
owners' yards  or  mulch  beds,  or  even  on 
porches  or  in  carports.  Because  the  fawns  ap- 


pear to  be  alone,  well-meaning  people  pick 
them  up,  thinking  they  have  been  aban- 
doned. They  have  not.  Young  fawns  should 
not  be  picked  up  in  late  May  and  early  June. 
Truly  orphaned  fawns,  injured  fawns,  or 
fawns  mistakenly  picked  up  as  orphans 
should  be  returned  immediately  to  the  area 
where  found.  If  that  is  not  possible,  they  must 
be  taken  to  a  licensed  wildlife  rehabilitator.  It 
is  illegal  in  Virginia  to  keep  deer  as  pets. 

By  ten  days  to  two  weeks,  although  they 
still  spend  most  of  their  time  bedded  and  hid- 
ing, young  fawns  have  changed  from  helpless 
hiders  into  exceptional  escape  artists,  easily 
outrunning  a  person  and  most  predators.  As 
fawns  age  they  become  more  active  and 
spend  increasingly  longer  periods  with  their 
mother,  playing  and  frolicking  about.  By  one 
month,  sibling  fawns  that  were  kept  separat- 
ed since  birth  are  reunited.  These  play  ses- 
sions are  important  to  building  strength  and 
i^ility  for  escaping  predators.  Most  activity 
by  young  fawns  takes  place  during  the  day. 
This  is  thought  to  be  an  adaptation  to  avoid 
nocturnal  predators  like  coyotes  and  bears. 
The  first  two  months,  most  of  their  time  is 


spent  alone  with  their  mother  and  siblings; 
however,  by  three  months  of  age  they  will  quit 
their  solitary  lifestyle  and  reunite  with  their 
mothers  doe  family  group  and  other  fawns. 
By  fall,  the  fawns  spend  all  of  their  time  ac- 
companying the  doe. 

While  family  life  occupies  the  does  dur- 
ing summer,  adult  males  literally  lie  around 
and  do  nothing  except  grow  antlers.  Bucks  re- 
main in  loose  bachelor  groups,  with  size  and 
membership  routinely  changing  until  the  rut 
begins  in  September. 

Antler  growth  in  male  deer  is  the  fastest 
normal  tissue  growth  known  among  mam- 
mals; most  is  accomplished  in  less  than  100 
days  during  May,  June,  and  July.  Growing 
antlers  are  sensitive,  tender,  and  soft.  Bucks  go 
out  of  their  way  to  avoid  injuring  them,  as  in- 
juries frequently  result  in  malformed  anders. 

By  August  1 ,  shortening  days  mean  the 
annual  life  cycle  of  the  deer  is  beginning  to 
turn  again,  back  to  fall  and  back  to  deer  life  in 
the  rut. 


Matt  Knox  is  a  deer  project  coordinator  for  the 
Department,  serving  south-central  Virginia. 


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JUNE  2012    ♦      31 


HOTOTlPS 

by  Lynda  Richardson 


One  spring,  I  joined  Bob  and  Linda 
Cole  and  long-time  buddy  Mitchell 
Byrd  for  a  bird  watching  trip  to  Dutch  Gap 
and  Henricus  Park.  We  were  looking  for 
spring  warblers;  more  specifically,  the  com- 
mon yellowthroat.  Wandering  around  areas 
known  to  be  yellowthroat  haunts,  we 
scanned  the  trees  with  our  binoculars,  listen- 
ing intendy  for  their  calls.  There  just  weren't 
any  to  be  found. 

"They  have  to  be  here  by  now,"  Mitchell 
noted  aloud.  We  all  stood  quietly  watching 
the  canopy  above.  Then,  something  amazing 
happened.  Linda  pulled  out  her  phone  and 
called  a  yellowthroat. 

"Witchity-witchity-witchity-witchity," 
the  birds  fast,  melodious  voice  erupted  from 
her  hand.  Within  seconds,  "witchity-witchi- 
ty-witchity-witchity"  cascaded  down  from 
the  trees. 

"How  did  you  do  that, "  I  asked,  walking 
over  to  see  what  number  she  could  possibly 
have  dialed.  Linda  showed  me  her  phone  and 
on  it  I  saw  the  photograph  of  a  beautifial  com- 
mon yellowthroat  in  breeding  plumage  with 
a  listing  of  several  vocalizations  below  it.  You 
simply  press  one  and  it  plays  the  bird  song  of 
your  choice. 

Linda  scrolled  around  the  phone,  show- 
ing me  other  birds  and  the  information  in- 
cluded with  each.  Her  phone  was  a 
hand-held  encyclopedia  of  bird  songs,  de- 
scriptions, habitat  preferences,  ranges,  and 
even  a  place  where  you  could  report  sightings 
and  keep  a  log  of  birds  you'd  seen  and  where 
you'd  seen  them.  You  could  also  find  out  what 
birds  had  been  sighted  recently  and  where. 
I'm  not  kidding. . .  there  was  even  a  map  to 
direct  you  to  the  location. 

Linda  filled  me  in  to  an  amazing  thing 
called  APPS  and  I  want  you  to  know  there  are 
a  BILLION  apps  out  there  for  just  about  any- 
thing you  can  think  of  including  photogra- 
phy. I  wasn't  really  interested  in  apps  before  as 
I  still  owned  an  "ancient"  2003  flip  phone. 
Now,  apps  had  my  attention. 

You  wouldn't  believe  the  number  of  apps 
that  can  be  found  in  the  bird  identification 
field.  Some  are  free  downloads,  while  others 


There's  An  App  For  That! 

range  in  cost  from  $9.99  to  $39.99  depend- 
ing on  the  extent  of  the  collection.  The  Green 
Mountain  Digital  Audubon  Society  Field 
Guides  ofi^er  an  entire  collection  including 
birds,  mammals,  trees,  and  wildflowers  for 
$39.99,  or  just  birds  for  $19.99.  The  Sibley 
eGuide  for  $19.99  or  the  National  Geo- 
graphic Society's  Handheld  Birds  app  for 
$9.99  are  great  bird-only  apps.  Feel  free  to  try 
them  out  before  you  buy,  as  each  will  allow 
you  to  preview  the  information!  If  you  have 
an  iPhone,  simply  go  to  the  App  Store  icon 
on  your  phone,  do  a  search,  and  shop  away. 

Needless  to  say,  I  now  have  an  iPhone 
and  a  bird  field  guide  app,  and  I  love  both  of 
them!  If  I'm  taking  a  walk,  birdwatching,  or 
just  hanging  out,  I  enjoy  opening  the  app  and 
listening  to  various  vocalizations — trying  to 
memorize  them  and  which  bird  creates  them. 
I  have  also  been  checking  out  the  photogra- 
phy apps,  which  look  pretty  darn  cool  too. 
And  oh,  did  I  tell  you  the  iPhone  also  has  a  re- 
ally great  camera?  Stay  tuned  for  more  on 
that!  Happy  Apping  and  Happy  Shooting! 


Please  Note: 

The  use  of  apps  or  other  means  of  play- 
back to  call  in  birds  remains  a  controver- 
sial topic  among  birders.  It  is  important 
to  note  that  there  are  some  situations  in 
which  the  use  of  such  playback  is  either 
illegal  (when  used  on  threatened  or 
endangered  species)  or  prohibited  (in 
many  parks  and  refiiges).  Recommen- 
dations on  appropriate  situations  and 
ways  to  use  this  technology  most  effec- 
tively, while  minimizing  disturbance  to 
birds  and  fellow  birders,  are  available  at: 
www.sibleyguides.com/201 1/04/the- 
proper-use-of-playback-in-birding/. 


Lynda  Richardson's 
Photography  Workshops 

Be  sure  to  check  out  my  upcoming 
workshops  at:  www.lewisginter.org  or 
my  website  at  www.lyndarichardson 
photography.com! 


Bob  and  Linda  Cole  and  Mitchell  Byrd  (R)  look  for  common  yellowthroats  at  Dutch  Gap.  Linda  plays 
an  app  on  her  phone  that  has  the  song  of  the  bird  we  are  after.  Amazingly,  one  responds!  Obvious- 
ly, this  is  a  great  tool  for  photography!  ©  2011  Lynda  Richardson 


32        VIRGINIA  WILDLIFE    ♦    www.HuntFlshVA.com 


t)n  the  Water 


by  Tom  Guess 


Things  That  Make  You  Wonder 


It's  starting  to  feel  like  boating  season  and 
you  are  either  already  on  the  water  or  get- 
ting your  boat  ready  for  that.  Our  staff  re- 
ceives hundreds  of  calls  and  emails  each  year 
with  questions  about  boating  equipment  or 
boating  laws.  I  thought  this  might  be  a  great 
oppormnity  to  share  some  of  the  most  com- 
monly asked  questions  with  you. 

Where  can  I  get  a  copy  of  the  Virginia 
Wiitercrafi  Owner's  Guide? 

This  year  we  merged  the  Virginia  Watercraft 
Owner's  Guide  into  the  Virginia  Freshwater 
Fishing  &  Watercraft  Owner's  Guide.  This  new 
combined  guide  is  available  at  any  licensed 
vendor  that  sells  a  license  for  the  Department. 
They  are  also  available  in  the  sporting  goods 
section  of  several  major  department  stores,  as 
well  as  rest  areas,  visitor's  centers,  and  various 
locations  that  have  information  kiosks  con- 
taining outdoor  information.  The  guide  is 
also  available  online  through  our  website: 
www.  HuntFishVA.com. 

Dolneedto  renter  my  boat,  andifso, 
why? 

This  requirement  is  derived  from  the  Code  of 
Federal  Regulations,  33  CFR  173:  All  vessels 
with  propulsion  machinery  (electric,  gaso- 
line, diesel,  steam,  or  other)  must  be  regis- 
tered in  the  state  of  principal  use.  States  can 
be  more  stringent  than  the  federal  require- 
ment, but  must  at  least  meet  this  require- 
ment. This  is  why  all  vessels,  even  vessels  with 
a  trolling  motor,  must  be  registered. 

Do  I  need  a  horn  or  whistle  on  my  boat? 

All  vessel  operators  are  required  to  be  able  to 
make  a  sufficient  sound  signal  if  needed.  For 
vessels  less  than  39.4  feet,  this  could  be  as  sim- 
ple as  a  police  whistle — which  is  audible  for 
up  to  0.5  nautical  miles.  Many  boats  are 
equipped  with  automotive-style  horns,  or  the 
operator  may  have  a  Freon-style,  manually 
activated  horn  on  board.  Any  of  these  will 
make  a  sufficient  sound  signal  and  meet  the 


requirements  of  the  law.  This  is  why  we  issue  a 
whisde  to  every  student  who  takes  a  Boat  Vir- 
ginia classroom  boating  safet)'  course. 

Why  do  I  need  a  boating  class?  I  have 
been  boating  all  my  life  and  never  had 
any  trouble. 

Many  boaters  often  launch  and  remrn  at  the 
same  ramp,  transit  to  the  same  area,  or  boat 
the  same  way  with  no  trouble  for  many  years; 
however,  if  they  find  themselves  in  a  position 
of  having  to  navigate  to  another  area  due  to 
weather,  or  navigate  in  fog,  or  if  they  have  a 
sudden  onboard  emergency,  it  may  be  a 
much  different  stor\'.  On  average,  recreation- 
al boaters  who  complete  a  basic  boating  safety 
course  approved  by  the  National  Association 
of  State  Boating  Law  Administrators  (NAS- 
BLA)  are  75  percent  less  likely  to  be  involved 
in  an  incident  on  the  water. 

Virginia  experiences,  on  average,  120  re- 
ported accidents  and  20  fatalities  annually. 


Only  about  1 1  percent  of  these  accidents  in- 
volve alcohol  and  the  incidents  involving 
rental  boats  are  very  low.  Most  accidents  hap- 
pen on  small,  open  motorboats  during  calm 
weather  in  the  late  afternoon.  By  taking  an 
approved  boating  safet)'  coiu'se,  you  will  not 
only  be  in  compliance  with  the  law,  you  will 
be  mitigating  the  chance  of  being  involved  in 
an  incident  on  the  water.  The  Boat  Virginia 
classroom  course  is  free  of  charge.  You  can 
also  take  a  course  offered  by  the  U.S.  Coast 
Guard  AiDdliary,  the  U.S.  Power  Squadrons, 
or  online  through  a  third  party  provider  for 
about  $25—35,  depending  on  the  course  you 
choose.  To  locate  a  classroom  or  online 
course,  visit  our  website:  www.HuntFish 
VA.com. 

Until  next  time:  Be  Responsible,  Be 
Safe,  and  Have  Fim! 

Tom  Guess,  U.S.  Coast  Guard  (Ret),  serves  as  the 
state  boating  law  administrator  at  the  DGIF. 


JUNE  2012   ♦      33 


ning  In 

by  Ken  and  Mono  Perrotte 
Oven  Barbecued  Bear 


\ 

^M' 

^  »~^ 

Talk  to  most  wild  game  neophytes  about  eating  bear  and 
watch  with  a  smile  as  their  defensive  shields  are  activated. 

"Bear?  Isn't  it  too  greasy?" 

"Bear?  Isn't  it  too  gamey?" 

"Bear?  Can't  it  make  you  sick?" 

Greasy  and  gamey  are  usually  a  function  of  field  care.  Proper 
handling  is  essential  from  the  time  the  bear  is  killed  through  the 
processing  and  final  preparation  of  the  cuts  of  meat  for  the  cooking 
pot.  It  is  true  that  bears  can  carry  the  parasites  that  cause  Trichi- 
nosis. The  solution  here  is  to  simply  ensure  the  bear  is  well  cooked, 
to  an  internal  temperature  of  at  least  165°  throughout.  The  truth 
is,  once  people  try  well-prepared  bear,  it  often  achieves  delicacy 
status  and  a  place  at  the  top  of  the  tasty  red  meat  list. 

Bears  are  expanding  their  range  in  Virginia.  Additional 
seasons  could  mean  more  lucky  hunters  might  be  adding  this 
flavorful,  rich  red  meat  to  the  dinner  table. 

Maria  originally  concocted  this  recipe  using  kitchen  know- 
how  and  a  creative  gleaning  of  ingredients  hanging  out  in  the 
refrigerator.  It  has  never  failed  to  delight  anyone  who  tried  it.  And, 
here's  a  secret — it  would  work  just  as  well  with  a  nice  venison  roast. 

Ingredients 

1  small  bear  roast,  about  1.5  pounds,  well  trimmed  of  silver  skin, 

gristle,  and  visible  fat 
I  or  2  tablespoons  salt  for  brining 
1  teaspoon  bacon  fat 

1  teaspoon  olive  oil 

V4  teaspoon  cracked  black  pepper 
Vi  onion,  chopped 

2  tablespoons  green  pepper,  chopped 
1  rib  celery,  chopped 

1  clove  garlic,  chopped 


Vs  teaspoon  paprika 

1  teaspoon  chili  powder 

1  teaspoon  dry  mustard 

1  tablespoon  tomato  paste 

Vi  cup  ketchup 

Va  cup  vinegar 

1  tablespoon  sugar  (more  or  less  to  taste) 

6  or  7  drops  Tabasco  or  hot  sauce 

1  teaspoon  lemon  juice 

1  tablespoon  Worcestershire  sauce 

1  tablespoon  canola  oil;  less  if  bear  has  any  fat 

Vi  cup  water 

Fresh  chopped  chives 

Prep  and  Cooking 

In  a  non-metal  container,  brine  the  meat  in  a  mixture  of  1  table- 
spoon salt  to  3  cups  water.  Use  more  salt  and  water  if  needed  so 
that  the  roast  is  fully  covered.  Brine  for  at  least  4  hours,  or 
overnight.  Drain  the  meat,  pat  it  dry,  and  let  sit  it  on  counter  to 
air  dry  and  for  about  1 5  to  20  minutes. 

Preheat  the  oven  to  300°. 

In  a  Dutch  oven  or  oven-proof  pan,  heat  the  fat  and  olive 
oil  over  medium-high  heat  until  it  shimmers.  All  oil  can  be  used 
if  you  don't  want  the  bacon  fat.  Brown  the  meat  on  all  sides  and 
remove  to  a  plate.  Turn  down  the  heat  to  medium-low  and  add 
the  onions,  celery,  and  green  pepper.  Saute  until  soft.  Add  the 
garlic  and  dry  seasonings  and  cook  for  a  minute.  Add  the  tomato 
paste  and  cook  another  minute.  Then  add  the  rest  of  the  ingredi- 
ents, turn  up  the  heat,  and  bring  to  a  boil.  Add  the  meat  and 
turn  or  baste  to  cover  the  meat  with  sauce.  Cover  and  place  in 
the  oven.  Cook  for  3  or  more  hours,  depending  on  the  size  and 
shape  of  the  roast.  Turn  and  baste  occasionally.  Add  a  litde  water 
if  the  sauce  gets  too  thick  or  dry. 

When  done,  the  meat  must  be  fiilly  cooked  and  should  be 
fork  tender  and  easily  shredded.  Garnish  with  coarsely  chopped 
fresh  chives  for  color  and  flavor.  Accompany  with  favorite  potato 
and  vegetable  sides,  such  as  lightly  sauteed  tomatoes.  A  hefty,  dry 
red  wine  that's  not  too  heavy  on  fruit  nuances  pairs  well. 

Sauteed  Grape  Tomatoes 

Vi  tablespoon  olive  oil 

Vz  tablespoon  unsalted  butter 

1  pint  grape  tomatoes 

Pinch  of  sea  salt  and  fresh  cracked  pepper 

Heat  olive  oil  and  butter  in  a  frying  pan  over  medium  heat.  Add 
tomatoes,  salt,  and  pepper.  Cook  until  soft,  stirring  several  times. 


34        VIRGINIA  WILDLIFE    ♦    wv\w.HuntFishVA.conri 


Coming  This  July! 

Change  is  a  part  of  life, 

and  that's  certainly  true  of  the 

publishing  world  these  days.  So  you 

will  probably  not  be  surprised  to  learn 

that  this  magazine  will  undergo 

some  changes  soon. 

Beginning  this  July,  Virginia  Wildlife  \n\\\  become 
a  bi-monthly  magazine.  We  will  add  more 
pages,  more  content,  and  more  special  features— as 
we  move  to  six  issues  a  year:  July-August,  September- 
October,  November-December,  January-February, 
March-April,  and  May-June.  This  change  means  that, 
even  in  the  face  of  increased  production  costs,  Virginia 
Wildlife  will  maintain  its  low  subscription  rate  and  re- 
main free  of  advertising  while  giving  you  more  of  the 
stories  and  photography  that  you  have  asked  for.  Our 
goal  is  to  make  every  issue  bigger  and  better  than  ever! 

We  will  kick  off  the  new  format  with  a  special  fea- 
ture about  the  history  of  the  Pittman-Robertson  Act, 
the  legislative  linchpin  in  the  foundation  of  all  wildlife 
and  sportfishing  restoration  programs  across  this  coun- 
try. The  following  issue  will  include  a  special  hunting 
guide,  running  at  the  start  of  the  fall  seasons.  Also 
coming  to  you  next  year  will  be  a  trout  guide,  a  fishing 
forecast,  and  a  special  outdoors  guide  showcasing 
wildlife-related  recreation  opportunities  and  events. 
That  guide  will  be  combined  with  our  annual  photog- 
raphy contest,  to  be  published  in  July-August  2013. 
(More  details  about  the  photo  contest  will  be  forth- 
coming; categories  and  deadline  will  change.) 

The  magazine  staff  is  excited  about  the  new  format 
and  the  opportunity  to  better  serve  our  loyal  sub- 
scribers who  have  supported  the  magazine  over  the 
past  73  years.  We  ask  for  your  patience  as  we  move 
forward,  and  trust  that  the  new  and  improved  Virginia 
Wildlife  will  continue  to  find  a  spot  by  your  favorite 
reading  chair. 


Free 
Fishing 
Days  ' 

lune  1  -3 


www.HuntFishVA.com 

If  fishing  in  designated  stoclted  trout  waters, 
botli  a  fresliwater  and  trout  license  are  required. 


Boating  Safety  Courses  Are  Required 
Personal  Watcrcraft  (PWO^JetSkr 

All  ages  by  July  1, 2012.  No  one  under  the  age  of  14 
cam  operate  a  PWC 

Motorboat  1 0  hp  or  Greater 

Age  30  or  younger,  July  1, 2012 
Age  40  or  younger,  July  1, 2013 
Age  45  or  younger,  July  1, 2014 
Age  50  or  younger,  July  1, 2015 
All  ages  by  July  1,2016 


UMITEP  TIME  OFFEI2 

Bound  Copies  of  Vii:ginia  Kf Idlife  Magazine 
Annual  Editions  from  1990  through  2011 

Are  Available  in  Limited  Supply 

$26.75  per  edition  (includes  S/H)  Pay  by  Check  Only  to:  Treasurer  of  Virginia 

Mail  to:  Virginia  Wildlife  IViagazine  P.O.  Box  1 1 104,  Richmond,  VA  23230- 1 104 

Include  your  full  name,  daytime  phone,  and  USPS  shipping  address. 
Reference  Item  No.  VW-230  and  the  year(s)  you  are  purchasing. 

Please  allow  4  weeks  for  receipt  of  order. 


Magazine  subscription-related  calls  only  1-800-710-9369  ♦  Annual  subscription  for  just  $1 2.95 

All  other  calls  to  (804)  367-1 000;  (804)  367-1 278  TTY 


Now  it's  easier  thaw  ever  to  find  a  fishing  destination  close  to  you. 
Simply  visit  TakeMeFishing.org  where  you'll  find  places  that  are 
close,  convenient— and  they'll  pass  the  muster  with  all  your  fishing 
buddies.  Hey  you'll  even  get  insider's  tips  on  how  to  catch  the  big  one. 

Buy  your  fishing  license  today.  Call  (866)721-6911,  go  to 
^^^^B  &  U^      www.dglf.virginia.gov  or  visit  your  nearest  location. 

?uy  any  two  Shakespere  products  that  , 
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Go  to  www.shakespeare-fishing.com  for  terms 
and  conditions,  and  the  official  rebate  form. 


vfj 


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